What You Need To Know About Surgical Drain Care
If you have recently had surgery you have a lot of things on your mind. You may still be recovering from the procedure itself and trying to deal with pain and loss of mobility. If you have a drain, you may also be trying to care for this device as well. Surgical drain care is not difficult and there are really only a few steps to accomplishing it.
Not every surgery will result in you having a drain. Simple incisions usually just get sutured up. If there is a void or gap in the body's tissues, however, a surgeon will likely want to use a drain. This is so that blood and other liquids are not trapped under the skin and so that a patient can heal as quickly as possible.
If you do not care for the incision properly your wound can get infected and this can have very serious effects. You may end up back in the hospital and need additional surgeries to deal with the infection. At the very least, it can slow down the healing process and delay your recovery.
Your doctor may have specific instructions that they want you to follow. This may include specific colors of fluids to look for. They may also send home written instructions with you after your surgery or give instructions to your caregiver so that they can look after you properly. If there are specific instructions relating to your surgery it is important that you follow them to ensure you heal properly.
Drains all tend to be made up of similar parts. They may vary a bit but they all involve a plastic tube of some sort that has a bulb attached to the end. Liquid will travel out of the wound and collect in the bulb. The bulb usually has a section on it that can be opened or removed so that the fluid can be poured out. Because the plastic used to make the device is very soft, it can become twisted or kinked.
Cleaning your equipment is very important. If there is any bacteria it can transfer to your drain and end up traveling into the wound. This can leave you with a very serious infection on your end. Even clean the cup that you use to measure how much discharge is coming out of the wound. Don't be surprise though if, after a while, the amount of liquid decreases since this is a sign you are healing.
Unless your doctor has told you otherwise, check your bulb for fluid four times a day. In the beginning, fluid will drain out more quickly than it will as healing progresses. If you find that your bulb is more than half full, it is a good time to get rid of the liquid. Make sure you write down how much collected and what it looked like.
While you may be focused on the device itself it is important to make sure that you also check the incision as well. Make sure it's not red and that there is no liquid coming from it. This may mean it is infected and you should talk to your doctor. Also check and see if there are any kinks or crimps in the tube or bulb. This may also mean a call to your doctor in order to have your device checked.
Not every surgery will result in you having a drain. Simple incisions usually just get sutured up. If there is a void or gap in the body's tissues, however, a surgeon will likely want to use a drain. This is so that blood and other liquids are not trapped under the skin and so that a patient can heal as quickly as possible.
If you do not care for the incision properly your wound can get infected and this can have very serious effects. You may end up back in the hospital and need additional surgeries to deal with the infection. At the very least, it can slow down the healing process and delay your recovery.
Your doctor may have specific instructions that they want you to follow. This may include specific colors of fluids to look for. They may also send home written instructions with you after your surgery or give instructions to your caregiver so that they can look after you properly. If there are specific instructions relating to your surgery it is important that you follow them to ensure you heal properly.
Drains all tend to be made up of similar parts. They may vary a bit but they all involve a plastic tube of some sort that has a bulb attached to the end. Liquid will travel out of the wound and collect in the bulb. The bulb usually has a section on it that can be opened or removed so that the fluid can be poured out. Because the plastic used to make the device is very soft, it can become twisted or kinked.
Cleaning your equipment is very important. If there is any bacteria it can transfer to your drain and end up traveling into the wound. This can leave you with a very serious infection on your end. Even clean the cup that you use to measure how much discharge is coming out of the wound. Don't be surprise though if, after a while, the amount of liquid decreases since this is a sign you are healing.
Unless your doctor has told you otherwise, check your bulb for fluid four times a day. In the beginning, fluid will drain out more quickly than it will as healing progresses. If you find that your bulb is more than half full, it is a good time to get rid of the liquid. Make sure you write down how much collected and what it looked like.
While you may be focused on the device itself it is important to make sure that you also check the incision as well. Make sure it's not red and that there is no liquid coming from it. This may mean it is infected and you should talk to your doctor. Also check and see if there are any kinks or crimps in the tube or bulb. This may also mean a call to your doctor in order to have your device checked.
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