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.
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.
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.
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.
A drain is made up several parts. The first is a thin tube, usually made of soft, flexible plastic which is inserted into your wound. This is the tube that the liquid or air will use to move out of your body while it heals. The other part of the device is a bulb. This is a small reservoir where the liquid can collect. There is quite often a valve or other way that you can open the bulb in order to get rid of any accumulated fluid.
Clean your hands before you start. You will often have bacteria on them and this can transfer to your drain. It can then travel up the tube and enter your wound. This can result in big problems if you do not get the infection stopped before it spreads. Also measure any other tools such as cups that you will use to measure the fluid that has collected.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A drain is made up several parts. The first is a thin tube, usually made of soft, flexible plastic which is inserted into your wound. This is the tube that the liquid or air will use to move out of your body while it heals. The other part of the device is a bulb. This is a small reservoir where the liquid can collect. There is quite often a valve or other way that you can open the bulb in order to get rid of any accumulated fluid.
Clean your hands before you start. You will often have bacteria on them and this can transfer to your drain. It can then travel up the tube and enter your wound. This can result in big problems if you do not get the infection stopped before it spreads. Also measure any other tools such as cups that you will use to measure the fluid that has collected.
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.
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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