What signs indicate the need to contact the surgical team after lip repair?

• A. Increased redness, fever, foul drainage, swelling, wound dehiscence, or changes in breathing or feeding.
• B. Normal healing without any changes.
• C. Mild redness that's improving.
• D. Rhinorrhea.

Answer: (A)

Postoperative warning signs tell you when to reach the surgical team after lip repair. The most important indicators are one or more of the following: increased redness around the incision, fever, foul drainage, swelling that is worsening, wound dehiscence (the wound opening or coming apart), or changes in breathing or feeding. Each of these signals a problem: redness and fever point to infection risk; foul drainage is a strong sign of infection; swelling that doesn’t subside or grows can mean ongoing inflammation or infection; wound dehiscence means the surgical site isn’t staying closed, which raises the chance of contamination and poor healing; and changes in breathing or feeding suggest airway compromise or significant pain affecting the ability to feed, both of which require urgent evaluation.

If nothing alarming is occurring—normal healing without changes or mild redness that is improving—that isn’t a reason to panic or to contact right away. Rhinorrhea alone isn’t a direct post-op red flag for lip repair unless it comes with fever, respiratory distress, or other symptoms indicating infection or airway issues.