Wound Drain Care and Output Monitoring

A surgical drain provides a controlled path for blood, serous fluid, pus, or fluid from a body space to leave the body rather than collect near a healing incision. A collection can separate tissue layers, increase pain and pressure, delay healing, or conceal bleeding or infection. The drain also gives the surgical team information: the amount and character of fluid can reveal a change before the incision looks abnormal. Closed-suction drains, such as a Jackson-Pratt (JP) bulb drain or Hemovac reservoir, use negative pressure inside a sealed system. Compression of the reservoir creates suction that draws fluid through perforations in the drain tubing. If the bulb or reservoir expands unexpectedly, suction may be lost even when drainage is still present. Passive drains rely on gravity or capillary action rather than suction. Their collection method and expected appearance vary by procedure. Identify the specific drain, its location, and the reason it was placed before providing care. A drain near a biliary procedure, for example, may produce bile-stained fluid; the same drainage from a routine soft-tissue incision would be unexpected.