Proper Surgical Drain Management Tips

By Michael McDonald


After a surgery, there are wounds, which are left on the part of the body that has been operated. These wounds usually need proper handling and care so that they can heal fast. If these wounds are not attended to as required, they may cause health complications. For instance, there are fluids and pus usually build on wounds. To remove these fluids a special tube by the name surgical drain is used. There are those guides that surgeons should adhere to when handling these tubes. These guidelines are combined together to form the surgical drain management practices.

When carrying out these operations, patients are supposed to observe high hygiene standards. This should begin right from the start of the process until the end. One of the way through, which sanitation can be maintained is by washing hands before the start of the operation and in between each subsequent step. This helps to prevent bacteria from entering the wound.

It is also important to ensure that the bulb, which is connected to the tube, has no twists. The tube too should not have bends. In case they happen to have some twist, the fluid or pus been drained will take a longer time to flow out of the wound. Making sure that there are no twist on equipment makes the process faster and easy. In addition, it minimizes the time taken to carry out this operation.

When removing these fluids from the wounds, it is advisable to empty the tube when reaches two thirds full. This should be done during the first twenty-four hours after performing the surgery. After 24 hours are over, doctors recommend that you keep monitoring the process after every six hours. As days, goes on the accumulated fluid decreases and you can be checking it less regularly.

Emptying the bulb is a step that must be undertaken with a lot of care. The first thing, which should be done, is to ensure that you thoroughly wash your hands with clean water and a suitable detergent. After this, you are supposed to put the fluid that has already been drained into the cup given by the doctor. When pouring these fluids, you should make sure that you do not contaminate the bulb to avoid bacterial infection.

To remove all the air that is inside the particular tube, ensure that you flatten the bulb on a flat surface. Just in case you are not in position to remove all the air that might have accumulated, it is recommended that you close it using a stopper. When doing this, you should avoid touching the inside of the bulb to prevent bacteria from entering the wound.

After you are done, it is advisable to clean all the apparatus used thoroughly. The equipment should be cleaned with soap and clean water. After washing them, ensure that they are dry. Wash your hands too with clean water and cleansing substances to avoid infections.

When attaching the drain on your clothes, you can use the loop on this tube to fix it on your clothing. You can either attach it on the inside or the outside of your clothing. To ensure that the tube does no pull the incision, it is recommended that you keep it loose.




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