Skip to content

Patients › Recovery

Cuidado de su herida

PDF

Curas, ducha, seguimiento, cuidado de las cicatrices y signos de infección tras una cirugía de miembro superior.

Updated Apr 2026
Una ilustración dibujada a mano de una herida quirúrgica limpia y cubierta en el antebrazo.
Marcar el borde de la zona enrojecida con un bolígrafo es una de las formas más sencillas de vigilar una herida en busca de una infección temprana: si la línea se extiende hacia afuera en el transcurso de un día, comuníquese con el equipo. Kieran Hirpara 4.0

Esta página se tradujo automáticamente y todavía no la ha revisado un médico. La versión en inglés es la versión oficial.

Una herida limpia y en proceso de cicatrización constituye la base para una buena recuperación. Las dos primeras semanas después de la cirugía son el período en que la herida es más vulnerable a infecciones y a abrirse si se tira o estira. Si tiene alguna duda respecto a su herida, no dude en contactarnos; suele ser útil tomar una fotografía de la herida y enviarla por correo electrónico para su evaluación.

Qué esperar

La hinchazón después de una cirugía de miembro superior suele generar preocupación, pero es algo normal. Tras una cirugía de la mano o el brazo, todo el brazo puede hincharse; tras una cirugía de hombro, también se hinchan el brazo y la mano. Según la gravedad de la lesión y el tipo de cirugía, la hinchazón puede persistir desde varias semanas hasta varios meses. Si la hinchazón persiste, no mejora o provoca rigidez, comuníquese con el consultorio para recibir orientación.

Las heridas pueden supurar o sangrar durante unos días, especialmente las heridas en la mano y las heridas producidas mediante artroscopia de hombro. Por lo general, la supuración se detiene alrededor del día 3–5; si persiste después de ese momento, deberá llamar al consultorio.

Al principio, algunas zonas del brazo o la mano pueden sentirse entumecidas. El anestésico local aplicado en la herida suele dejar de hacer efecto en unas 6–12 horas; en casos excepcionales, este efecto puede durar hasta 2–3 días. Lo mismo ocurre con el entumecimiento provocado por el bloqueo nervioso del hombro.

Vendajes

Al darte de alta del hospital, ya tendrás un vendaje colocado. Por regla general, no lo toques: un vendaje funciona mejor si no se manipula, y la mayoría permanecen en su lugar hasta la revisión de la herida. La excepción son aquellos vendajes que se hayan ensuciado o empapado de sangre; en ese caso deben reemplazarse (en la mayoría de las farmacias hay vendajes impermeables de repuesto). Si no estás seguro de si un vendaje necesita cambiarse, envíanos una foto antes de tocarlo.

El tipo de vendaje dependerá de la intervención quirúrgica:

  • Cirugía de mano y codo: normalmente un vendaje de lana y crepé con un apósito debajo. El vendaje puede retirarse transcurridas 48–72 horas; el apósito permanece hasta aproximadamente el día 10. Mantén secos los vendajes de mano y codo hasta la revisión de la herida.
  • Cirugía artroscópica de hombro: varios apósitos impermeables de pequeño tamaño, que deben permanecer en su lugar durante 10 días.
  • Prótesis de hombro: un único vendaje largo que debe durar 10–14 días. Si necesitas cambiarlo (sobre todo si persiste alguna secreción después de 2–3 días), ponte en contacto con nosotros para consultarlo. Transcurridos 10–14 días puede retirarse; sin embargo, si resulta cómodo, puede permanecer más tiempo.

Ducharse

Después de una cirugía de hombro, los vendajes son impermeables, por lo que puede ducharse desde el primer día: deje que el agua corra sobre el vendaje, pero no lo deje en remojo ni lo frote.

Después de una cirugía de mano o codo, mantenga los vendajes secos hasta su revisión de la herida: introduzca el brazo en una bolsa de plástico y cierre la bolsa con cinta adhesiva mientras se ducha, o utilice una funda protectora para ducharse que se vende en la farmacia.

No debe tomar baños, nadar ni usar spas hasta que la herida haya cicatrizado por completo (típicamente 2–3 semanas); además, evite cualquier actividad que pueda mojar o ensuciar la herida.

Puntos de sutura

La mayoría de las heridas se cierran con puntos de sutura reabsorbibles. Algunos de estos puntos se colocan debajo de la piel, dejando una pequeña “cola” en cada extremo de la herida; la parte enterrada no necesita retirarse, y las colas visibles se pueden cortar a ras de piel después de unos 10 días. Otros métodos emplean pequeñas tiras de plástico llamadas Steri-Strips, que se desprenden solas al cabo de 1–2 semanas. En el caso de heridas más grandes, es posible que sea necesario retirar los puntos durante la revisión de la herida. Si no puede acudir a nuestra clínica de curas, su médico de cabecera normalmente estará dispuesto a cortar o retirar los puntos por usted.

Su seguimiento

El personal del consultorio se pondrá en contacto con usted dos o tres días después de la operación para informarle los detalles de sus citas de seguimiento. El patrón habitual es el siguiente:

  • Revisión de la herida a las 1–2 semanas con la enfermera del consultorio. Si vive fuera de la ciudad, quizás le resulte más cómodo acudir a su médico de cabecera para el cuidado de la herida; no olvide llevar su resumen de alta, donde figuran los detalles de la operación.
  • Revisión postoperatoria con el Dr. Hirpara a las 6–8 semanas: podría ser antes si la herida requiere una supervisión más estrecha.
  • En el caso de operaciones de dedos y tendones (enfermedad de Dupuytren, fracturas de dedos, reparación de tendones y similares), normalmente se deriva al paciente a un terapeuta de mano, quien se encarga de todo: cuidado de la herida, retirada de puntos, manejo de cicatrices y rehabilitación. La terapia de mano solo está disponible en algunas localidades del centro de Queensland; donde no haya terapeuta de mano, un fisioterapeuta asume la rehabilitación y la enfermera del consultorio (o su médico de cabecera) se encarga del cuidado de la herida.

Signos de una cicatrización normal

Durante los primeros días, puede esperar lo siguiente:

  • Enrojecimiento leve alrededor de los bordes de la herida
  • Una pequeña cantidad de líquido transparente o rosado que empapa el vendaje
  • Sensación de tirantez, picazón o “cosquilleo” a medida que los nervios se reconectan
  • Moretones alrededor de la herida, que a veces se extienden hacia el brazo

En las siguientes semanas, la cicatriz estará elevada, rosada y firme; con el tiempo se aplana y aclara a lo largo de 6–12 meses.

Señales de que algo no va bien: llámenos

  • Enrojecimiento que se extiende más allá de los bordes de la herida
  • La herida se siente caliente al tacto
  • Secreción de color amarillo, verde o con olor desagradable
  • Dolor que aumenta en lugar de disminuir después de los primeros días
  • Fiebre (temperatura superior a 38 °C)
  • La herida se abre

Todos estos pueden ser signos tempranos de infección. No espere a su cita programada; llámenos de inmediato.

Cuidado de las cicatrices una vez curada la herida

Una vez retirados los puntos y cuando la herida esté seca y cerrada (usualmente de dos a cuatro semanas después de la cirugía), se puede comenzar el masaje de la cicatriz:

  • 5–10 minutos, dos veces al día. Durante las primeras 2–4 semanas, masajee a lo largo de la línea de la incisión; después, en todas direcciones.
  • Aplique presión suficiente para que la cicatriz pase del color rosado a un tono pálido, pero sin causar dolor. No masajee una cicatriz que esté abierta o presente signos de infección.
  • El masaje también actúa como desensibilización: es normal que una cicatriz reciente sea muy sensible al tacto; el contacto frecuente ayuda a normalizar esa sensibilidad.
  • Un hidratante neutro y sin fragancia (como sorboleno, crema de vitamina E o aloe vera) suaviza la cicatriz y facilita el masaje.
  • Si la cicatriz está elevada, colocar una tira de cinta Fixomull o Hypafix sobre la línea de la incisión durante hasta 2 semanas (cambiándola diariamente; puede masajear por encima de la cinta) ayuda a aplanarla. La mayoría de las farmacias lo tienen disponible.
  • La protección solar es esencial: una cicatriz reciente se quema fácilmente y la exposición al sol puede oscurecerla de forma permanente. Durante el primer año, cúbrala con protector solar SPF 30 o superior, óxido de zinc, ropa o manteniéndola a la sombra.

Continúe masajeando a diario hasta que la cicatriz adquiera un color pálido, se vuelva suave y plana.


Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0

CC Creative Commons licence
BY Attribution — you must credit the source
NC NonCommercial — not for commercial use

Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International


Creative Commons Corporation ("Creative Commons") is not a law firm and does not provide legal services or legal advice. Distribution of Creative Commons public licenses does not create a lawyer-client or other relationship. Creative Commons makes its licenses and related information available on an "as-is" basis. Creative Commons gives no warranties regarding its licenses, any material licensed under their terms and conditions, or any related information. Creative Commons disclaims all liability for damages resulting from their use to the fullest extent possible.

Using Creative Commons Public Licenses

Creative Commons public licenses provide a standard set of terms and conditions that creators and other rights holders may use to share original works of authorship and other material subject to copyright and certain other rights specified in the public license below. The following considerations are for informational purposes only, are not exhaustive, and do not form part of our licenses.

Considerations for licensors: Our public licenses are intended for use by those authorized to give the public permission to use material in ways otherwise restricted by copyright and certain other rights. Our licenses are irrevocable. Licensors should read and understand the terms and conditions of the license they choose before applying it. Licensors should also secure all rights necessary before applying our licenses so that the public can reuse the material as expected. Licensors should clearly mark any material not subject to the license. This includes other CC- licensed material, or material used under an exception or limitation to copyright. More considerations for licensors: wiki.creativecommons.org/Considerations_for_licensors

Considerations for the public: By using one of our public licenses, a licensor grants the public permission to use the licensed material under specified terms and conditions. If the licensor's permission is not necessary for any reason--for example, because of any applicable exception or limitation to copyright--then that use is not regulated by the license. Our licenses grant only permissions under copyright and certain other rights that a licensor has authority to grant. Use of the licensed material may still be restricted for other reasons, including because others have copyright or other rights in the material. A licensor may make special requests, such as asking that all changes be marked or described. Although not required by our licenses, you are encouraged to respect those requests where reasonable. More considerations for the public: wiki.creativecommons.org/Considerations_for_licensees


Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Public License

By exercising the Licensed Rights (defined below), You accept and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of this Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Public License ("Public License"). To the extent this Public License may be interpreted as a contract, You are granted the Licensed Rights in consideration of Your acceptance of these terms and conditions, and the Licensor grants You such rights in consideration of benefits the Licensor receives from making the Licensed Material available under these terms and conditions.

Section 1 -- Definitions.

a. Adapted Material means material subject to Copyright and Similar Rights that is derived from or based upon the Licensed Material and in which the Licensed Material is translated, altered, arranged, transformed, or otherwise modified in a manner requiring permission under the Copyright and Similar Rights held by the Licensor. For purposes of this Public License, where the Licensed Material is a musical work, performance, or sound recording, Adapted Material is always produced where the Licensed Material is synched in timed relation with a moving image.

b. Adapter's License means the license You apply to Your Copyright and Similar Rights in Your contributions to Adapted Material in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Public License.

c. Copyright and Similar Rights means copyright and/or similar rights closely related to copyright including, without limitation, performance, broadcast, sound recording, and Sui Generis Database Rights, without regard to how the rights are labeled or categorized. For purposes of this Public License, the rights specified in Section 2(b)(1)-(2) are not Copyright and Similar Rights.

d. Effective Technological Measures means those measures that, in the absence of proper authority, may not be circumvented under laws fulfilling obligations under Article 11 of the WIPO Copyright Treaty adopted on December 20, 1996, and/or similar international agreements.

e. Exceptions and Limitations means fair use, fair dealing, and/or any other exception or limitation to Copyright and Similar Rights that applies to Your use of the Licensed Material.

f. Licensed Material means the artistic or literary work, database, or other material to which the Licensor applied this Public License.

g. Licensed Rights means the rights granted to You subject to the terms and conditions of this Public License, which are limited to all Copyright and Similar Rights that apply to Your use of the Licensed Material and that the Licensor has authority to license.

h. Licensor means the individual(s) or entity(ies) granting rights under this Public License.

i. NonCommercial means not primarily intended for or directed towards commercial advantage or monetary compensation. For purposes of this Public License, the exchange of the Licensed Material for other material subject to Copyright and Similar Rights by digital file-sharing or similar means is NonCommercial provided there is no payment of monetary compensation in connection with the exchange.

j. Share means to provide material to the public by any means or process that requires permission under the Licensed Rights, such as reproduction, public display, public performance, distribution, dissemination, communication, or importation, and to make material available to the public including in ways that members of the public may access the material from a place and at a time individually chosen by them.

k. Sui Generis Database Rights means rights other than copyright resulting from Directive 96/9/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 1996 on the legal protection of databases, as amended and/or succeeded, as well as other essentially equivalent rights anywhere in the world.

l. You means the individual or entity exercising the Licensed Rights under this Public License. Your has a corresponding meaning.

Section 2 -- Scope.

a. License grant.

1. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Public License, the Licensor hereby grants You a worldwide, royalty-free, non-sublicensable, non-exclusive, irrevocable license to exercise the Licensed Rights in the Licensed Material to:

a. reproduce and Share the Licensed Material, in whole or in part, for NonCommercial purposes only; and

b. produce, reproduce, and Share Adapted Material for NonCommercial purposes only.

2. Exceptions and Limitations. For the avoidance of doubt, where Exceptions and Limitations apply to Your use, this Public License does not apply, and You do not need to comply with its terms and conditions.

3. Term. The term of this Public License is specified in Section 6(a).

4. Media and formats; technical modifications allowed. The Licensor authorizes You to exercise the Licensed Rights in all media and formats whether now known or hereafter created, and to make technical modifications necessary to do so. The Licensor waives and/or agrees not to assert any right or authority to forbid You from making technical modifications necessary to exercise the Licensed Rights, including technical modifications necessary to circumvent Effective Technological Measures. For purposes of this Public License, simply making modifications authorized by this Section 2(a) (4) never produces Adapted Material.

5. Downstream recipients.

a. Offer from the Licensor -- Licensed Material. Every recipient of the Licensed Material automatically receives an offer from the Licensor to exercise the Licensed Rights under the terms and conditions of this Public License.

b. No downstream restrictions. You may not offer or impose any additional or different terms or conditions on, or apply any Effective Technological Measures to, the Licensed Material if doing so restricts exercise of the Licensed Rights by any recipient of the Licensed Material.

6. No endorsement. Nothing in this Public License constitutes or may be construed as permission to assert or imply that You are, or that Your use of the Licensed Material is, connected with, or sponsored, endorsed, or granted official status by, the Licensor or others designated to receive attribution as provided in Section 3(a)(1)(A)(i).

b. Other rights.

1. Moral rights, such as the right of integrity, are not licensed under this Public License, nor are publicity, privacy, and/or other similar personality rights; however, to the extent possible, the Licensor waives and/or agrees not to assert any such rights held by the Licensor to the limited extent necessary to allow You to exercise the Licensed Rights, but not otherwise.

2. Patent and trademark rights are not licensed under this Public License.

3. To the extent possible, the Licensor waives any right to collect royalties from You for the exercise of the Licensed Rights, whether directly or through a collecting society under any voluntary or waivable statutory or compulsory licensing scheme. In all other cases the Licensor expressly reserves any right to collect such royalties, including when the Licensed Material is used other than for NonCommercial purposes.

Section 3 -- License Conditions.

Your exercise of the Licensed Rights is expressly made subject to the following conditions.

a. Attribution.

1. If You Share the Licensed Material (including in modified form), You must:

a. retain the following if it is supplied by the Licensor with the Licensed Material:

i. identification of the creator(s) of the Licensed Material and any others designated to receive attribution, in any reasonable manner requested by the Licensor (including by pseudonym if designated);

ii. a copyright notice;

iii. a notice that refers to this Public License;

iv. a notice that refers to the disclaimer of warranties;

v. a URI or hyperlink to the Licensed Material to the extent reasonably practicable;

b. indicate if You modified the Licensed Material and retain an indication of any previous modifications; and

c. indicate the Licensed Material is licensed under this Public License, and include the text of, or the URI or hyperlink to, this Public License.

2. You may satisfy the conditions in Section 3(a)(1) in any reasonable manner based on the medium, means, and context in which You Share the Licensed Material. For example, it may be reasonable to satisfy the conditions by providing a URI or hyperlink to a resource that includes the required information.

3. If requested by the Licensor, You must remove any of the information required by Section 3(a)(1)(A) to the extent reasonably practicable.

4. If You Share Adapted Material You produce, the Adapter's License You apply must not prevent recipients of the Adapted Material from complying with this Public License.

Section 4 -- Sui Generis Database Rights.

Where the Licensed Rights include Sui Generis Database Rights that apply to Your use of the Licensed Material:

a. for the avoidance of doubt, Section 2(a)(1) grants You the right to extract, reuse, reproduce, and Share all or a substantial portion of the contents of the database for NonCommercial purposes only;

b. if You include all or a substantial portion of the database contents in a database in which You have Sui Generis Database Rights, then the database in which You have Sui Generis Database Rights (but not its individual contents) is Adapted Material; and

c. You must comply with the conditions in Section 3(a) if You Share all or a substantial portion of the contents of the database.

For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 4 supplements and does not replace Your obligations under this Public License where the Licensed Rights include other Copyright and Similar Rights.

Section 5 -- Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitation of Liability.

a. UNLESS OTHERWISE SEPARATELY UNDERTAKEN BY THE LICENSOR, TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE, THE LICENSOR OFFERS THE LICENSED MATERIAL AS-IS AND AS-AVAILABLE, AND MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND CONCERNING THE LICENSED MATERIAL, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHER. THIS INCLUDES, WITHOUT LIMITATION, WARRANTIES OF TITLE, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ABSENCE OF LATENT OR OTHER DEFECTS, ACCURACY, OR THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF ERRORS, WHETHER OR NOT KNOWN OR DISCOVERABLE. WHERE DISCLAIMERS OF WARRANTIES ARE NOT ALLOWED IN FULL OR IN PART, THIS DISCLAIMER MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

b. TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE, IN NO EVENT WILL THE LICENSOR BE LIABLE TO YOU ON ANY LEGAL THEORY (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, NEGLIGENCE) OR OTHERWISE FOR ANY DIRECT, SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, OR OTHER LOSSES, COSTS, EXPENSES, OR DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THIS PUBLIC LICENSE OR USE OF THE LICENSED MATERIAL, EVEN IF THE LICENSOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH LOSSES, COSTS, EXPENSES, OR DAMAGES. WHERE A LIMITATION OF LIABILITY IS NOT ALLOWED IN FULL OR IN PART, THIS LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

c. The disclaimer of warranties and limitation of liability provided above shall be interpreted in a manner that, to the extent possible, most closely approximates an absolute disclaimer and waiver of all liability.

Section 6 -- Term and Termination.

a. This Public License applies for the term of the Copyright and Similar Rights licensed here. However, if You fail to comply with this Public License, then Your rights under this Public License terminate automatically.

b. Where Your right to use the Licensed Material has terminated under Section 6(a), it reinstates:

1. automatically as of the date the violation is cured, provided it is cured within 30 days of Your discovery of the violation; or

2. upon express reinstatement by the Licensor.

For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 6(b) does not affect any right the Licensor may have to seek remedies for Your violations of this Public License.

c. For the avoidance of doubt, the Licensor may also offer the Licensed Material under separate terms or conditions or stop distributing the Licensed Material at any time; however, doing so will not terminate this Public License.

d. Sections 1, 5, 6, 7, and 8 survive termination of this Public License.

Section 7 -- Other Terms and Conditions.

a. The Licensor shall not be bound by any additional or different terms or conditions communicated by You unless expressly agreed.

b. Any arrangements, understandings, or agreements regarding the Licensed Material not stated herein are separate from and independent of the terms and conditions of this Public License.

Section 8 -- Interpretation.

a. For the avoidance of doubt, this Public License does not, and shall not be interpreted to, reduce, limit, restrict, or impose conditions on any use of the Licensed Material that could lawfully be made without permission under this Public License.

b. To the extent possible, if any provision of this Public License is deemed unenforceable, it shall be automatically reformed to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable. If the provision cannot be reformed, it shall be severed from this Public License without affecting the enforceability of the remaining terms and conditions.

c. No term or condition of this Public License will be waived and no failure to comply consented to unless expressly agreed to by the Licensor.

d. Nothing in this Public License constitutes or may be interpreted as a limitation upon, or waiver of, any privileges and immunities that apply to the Licensor or You, including from the legal processes of any jurisdiction or authority.


Creative Commons is not a party to its public licenses. Notwithstanding, Creative Commons may elect to apply one of its public licenses to material it publishes and in those instances will be considered the “Licensor.” The text of the Creative Commons public licenses is dedicated to the public domain under the CC0 Public Domain Dedication. Except for the limited purpose of indicating that material is shared under a Creative Commons public license or as otherwise permitted by the Creative Commons policies published at creativecommons.org/policies, Creative Commons does not authorize the use of the trademark "Creative Commons" or any other trademark or logo of Creative Commons without its prior written consent including, without limitation, in connection with any unauthorized modifications to any of its public licenses or any other arrangements, understandings, or agreements concerning use of licensed material. For the avoidance of doubt, this paragraph does not form part of the public licenses.

Creative Commons may be contacted at creativecommons.org.