Surgical recovery can be complicated and there may be a lot of steps that you need to remember. You may have specific medication that you need to take or steps that need to be performed in order to help you get healthy as quickly as possible. Surgical drain care is not terribly complicated but it does involve a few steps.
It may surprise you at first when you find a drain in your incision. Your doctor may not have known that your incision would need one until he completed your surgery. You may also have more than one drain installed if your incision is quite large or deep. The purpose of these devices is to allow blood and other liquids to travel out of your body instead of staying in the wound.
One of the main problems with any incision healing is the fact that it could become infected. Suturing an incision closed will help prevent this, but what do you do if you have an open wound with a drain inserted into it? The key is to handle the area properly so that you do not end up with bigger problems later on.
Some of the instructions your doctor may give you will center on the fluid coming out of your device. They will want to know how much fluid is coming out, how thick it is and what color it is. They may also tell you how to open and close your bulb and drain the fluid properly or handle any kinks or bends in the tube or bulb.
You will see that your incision will have a tube sticking out of it. This leads to a bulb where fluid collects. This does two things. It helps keep the discharge from getting all over your clothing and bedding. It also helps keep bacteria out of the wound because it is a closed system. You do have to worry about closing up the bulb properly and making sure it is not kinked or bent.
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.
You need to remember that more fluid will drain out at the beginning of your recovery than it will when it has been healing for a bit. At a minimum, checking it four times a day (about every six hours) will make sure that you get rid of the fluid before the bulb becomes too full. You should get instructions on how to empty the bulb. You just need to ensure that you clean everything before shutting up your device again.
You need to be aware of signs of infection and know how to tell when you need to seek medical attention. If you suddenly see a lot of fluid coming out, if the liquid gets very thick or smells foul, or the liquid starts coming out of the incision as well you will need to at least contact your physician.
It may surprise you at first when you find a drain in your incision. Your doctor may not have known that your incision would need one until he completed your surgery. You may also have more than one drain installed if your incision is quite large or deep. The purpose of these devices is to allow blood and other liquids to travel out of your body instead of staying in the wound.
One of the main problems with any incision healing is the fact that it could become infected. Suturing an incision closed will help prevent this, but what do you do if you have an open wound with a drain inserted into it? The key is to handle the area properly so that you do not end up with bigger problems later on.
Some of the instructions your doctor may give you will center on the fluid coming out of your device. They will want to know how much fluid is coming out, how thick it is and what color it is. They may also tell you how to open and close your bulb and drain the fluid properly or handle any kinks or bends in the tube or bulb.
You will see that your incision will have a tube sticking out of it. This leads to a bulb where fluid collects. This does two things. It helps keep the discharge from getting all over your clothing and bedding. It also helps keep bacteria out of the wound because it is a closed system. You do have to worry about closing up the bulb properly and making sure it is not kinked or bent.
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.
You need to remember that more fluid will drain out at the beginning of your recovery than it will when it has been healing for a bit. At a minimum, checking it four times a day (about every six hours) will make sure that you get rid of the fluid before the bulb becomes too full. You should get instructions on how to empty the bulb. You just need to ensure that you clean everything before shutting up your device again.
You need to be aware of signs of infection and know how to tell when you need to seek medical attention. If you suddenly see a lot of fluid coming out, if the liquid gets very thick or smells foul, or the liquid starts coming out of the incision as well you will need to at least contact your physician.
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