DSRCT Perioperative Home Anti-infection Care Implementation Recommendations (Family Version) (2026.4)
A family caregiver guide, adapted from the DSRCT Support Circle (China)
DSRCT surgery is major surgery, and the days around it ask a great deal of the family at the bedside. What a caregiver notices, and how early they say something, genuinely matters.
This guide is adapted from a family caregiver nursing guide developed by the DSRCT Support Circle (China), the DSRCT patient and family community in China. It was originally written in Simplified Chinese and translated into English with AI assistance, then reviewed for accuracy. It is shared here with gratitude to the DSRCT Support Circle (China) community.
Care routines vary widely between countries and hospitals. Many centers now follow enhanced recovery protocols (often called ERAS), where patients eat and walk considerably sooner after surgery than the timelines described here. Treat this as general guidance for what to watch for, and follow your own care team's specific instructions when they differ.
Keep this within reach. These signs are worth a call to the care team whatever the hour, and whatever else is going on.
- • Skin preparation Help the patient bathe the evening before surgery, paying close attention to the navel and groin area where bacteria commonly accumulate. If an antimicrobial body wash has been prescribed, use it exactly as directed.
- • Airway preparation If the patient smokes, they must stop immediately. Smoking paralyzes airway cilia and increases post-operative pneumonia risk. Practice deep breathing and effective coughing before surgery: press the wound area, inhale deeply, then cough forcefully to clear secretions.
- • Nutritional optimization DSRCT patients commonly experience physical depletion before surgery. Under physician guidance, maximize high-protein foods (fish, meat, eggs) in the weeks before surgery. Low serum albumin is a major contributing factor to poor wound healing and infection risk.
Infection prevention after DSRCT surgery centers on four areas: hand hygiene, tube management, airway management, and early mobilization. Family caregivers play a direct role in all four.
- • Tube management DSRCT surgery typically results in multiple drainage tubes and a urinary catheter. The urine bag must always remain below bladder level to prevent backflow. Help clean around the urethral opening daily. When turning the patient, secure tubes first to prevent dislodgement. Remind the doctor to remove the catheter as early as safely possible. The longer it remains, the higher the infection rate.
- • Airway management After major abdominal surgery, patients avoid deep breathing due to pain, causing secretions to pool in the lungs. Help the patient turn and pat their back every 2 hours (from bottom to top, outside to inside) to clear secretions and reduce the risk of pneumonia. If the hospital provides an incentive spirometer, encourage its use to exercise lung function.
- • Temperature and wound monitoring Low-grade fever under 38°C (100.4°F) within the first 3 days may be normal. High fever over 38.5°C (101.3°F), chills, or fever returning after subsiding between days 3 to 5 warrants concern for abdominal abscess or wound infection. Check wound dressings daily. A wet dressing is a breeding ground for bacteria. If the dressing is wet, ask the nurse to change it immediately.
- • Early mobilization As soon as the patient is awake from anesthesia, begin ankle pump exercises. With physician approval, typically 1 to 2 days post-op, help the patient get out of bed to stand and walk slowly as soon as possible. Movement promotes bowel motility recovery and reduces the risk of intestinal obstruction and blood clots.
Drainage fluid is a direct window into what is happening inside the abdominal cavity after surgery. Color, consistency, odor, and volume all carry information. The following is adapted from the DSRCT Support Circle (China) community nursing guide.
| Appearance | Possible Cause | Family Response |
|---|---|---|
| Light red or pale yellow, clear | Normal post-op exudate, healing | Normal. Record volume and continue observing. |
| Bright red, warm | Active bleeding | Call the doctor urgently. Watch for palpitations or cold sweats. Do not squeeze the tube. |
| Dark red or black-red | Old accumulated blood oxidizing | Monitor closely. If color lightens and volume decreases, this is improvement. |
| Golden yellow or dark green, viscous, bitter smell | Bile leak | Report to doctor. Keeping the drain open is critical. |
| Milky white or rice-water appearance | Chylous (lymphatic) leak | Report to doctor. Avoid fatty foods. May require fasting or IV nutrition. |
| Yellow-brown or fecal-smelling, turbid | Intestinal fistula (serious) | Report to doctor immediately. No eating. Absolute bed rest. |
| Purulent, yellow-green, viscous, foul odor | Abdominal infection or abscess | Report to doctor immediately. Bacterial culture needed. |
- ›Strict hand washing before touching the patient, changing dressings, or preparing food. This is the single most effective way to prevent infection.
- ›Assist with back-patting or encourage use of the incentive spirometer frequently throughout the day to clear secretions and support lung function.
- ›Encourage early mobilization to promote bowel motility and reduce clot risk.
- ›Monitor and record temperature daily. Fever is the earliest signal of infection.
- ›Keep the wound and drain sites dry and clean at all times.
- ›Do not allow visits from anyone who is sick, has a fever, or has a skin condition. Immunity is low after surgery.
- ›Do not bundle the patient to induce sweating if fever occurs. Use physical cooling methods instead.
- ›Do not give antibiotics or fever reducers without physician direction. This can mask symptoms and obscure signs of serious complications.
- ›Do not casually touch drainage tube connectors except for directed nursing needs.
- ›Do not feed the patient before passing gas after surgery. Follow physician instructions starting with clear liquids only.
The caregiving guidance on this page was developed by the DSRCT Support Circle (China), the DSRCT patient and family community in China, and is shared here with their permission and our thanks.
Source: Wu X, Song H. DSRCT Perioperative Family Infection-Prevention Nursing Guide (Family Caregiver Edition). DSRCT Support Circle (China), DSRCT Practical Knowledge Lecture. 2026.
Translated from Simplified Chinese into English with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy. Where this guidance and your own care team's instructions differ, follow your care team.