Eric R. Pope, DVM, MS, DACVS, with Ross University, discusses the dos and don’ts of wound drainage. The photos that accompany his piece are informative.
Source: Clinician’s Brief, February 2017.
Drains are sometimes necessary for managing fluid accumulations or prophylactically when postoperative fluid accumulation is likely due to dead space or wounds in high-motion areas. Although drain placement can be beneficial, drains increase the risk for infection in clean wounds, as they are foreign bodies and interfere with normal host defense mechanisms. Drains are categorized as passive or active.