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What does wound drainage look like?
Serosanguineous drainage is one common type of wound drainage. It typically appears as the wound is trying to heal and may have a pale red or pink color. Serosanguineous drainage may also appear as a clear liquid swirled with red blood.
What are the different types of wound drainage?
Types of Wound Exudate There are four types of wound drainage: serous, sanguineous, serosanguinous, and purulent.
Is wound drainage normal?
Normal wounds have normal drainage—it’s clear or there is a little bit of blood or color—and it seems to get better day after day, or at least week after week. Abnormal wounds look angry and have angry drainage. They get worse—more tender, more drainage, more swelling—and they also feel worse most of the time.
What is a wound drain used for?
Introduction. Surgical drains are tubes placed near surgical incisions in the post-operative patient, to remove pus, blood or other fluid, preventing it from accumulating in the body.
What kind of drainage indicates infection?
Purulent drainage is a sign of infection. It’s a white, yellow, or brown fluid and might be slightly thick in texture. It’s made up of white blood cells trying to fight the infection, plus the residue from any bacteria pushed out of the wound. There may be an unpleasant smell to the fluid, as well.
What is the yellow stuff in a wound?
When you get a scrape or an abrasion, serous fluid (which contains serum) can be found at the healing site. Serous fluid, also known as serous exudate, is a yellow, transparent liquid that aids the healing process by providing a moist, nourishing environment for the skin to repair.
How do you treat a wound drainage?
Your doctor will tell you how often to change it.
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
- Take off the dressing from around the drain.
- Clean the drain site and the skin around it with soap and water. Use gauze or a cotton swab.
- When the site is dry, put on a new dressing.
- Wash your hands again with soap and water.
How do you empty a drainage bag on a wound?
Empty the bulb when it is half full.
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
- Take the plug out of the bulb.
- Empty the bulb.
- Clean the plug with alcohol.
- Squeeze the bulb until it is flat.
- Keep the bulb flat, and put the plug in.
- Empty the fluid into the toilet.
- Wash your hands.
Drainage can be (1) serous (clear and thin; may be present in a healthy, healing wound), (2) serosanguineous (containing blood; may also be present in a healthy, healing wound), (3) sanguineous (primarily blood), or (4) purulent (thick, white, and pus-like; may be indicative of infection and should be cultured).
What does it look like when you drain a wound?
The presence of microorganisms in wound drainage does not necessarily mean the wound is infected. Generally, wound drainage is odorless and looks like clear or pale yellow watery liquid. However, the type of wound drainage and the amount depends on the type of wound.
Why is drainage important to the healing process?
Evidence indicates that if a wound is not allowed to drain freely, blood, body fluids, pus, and necrotic material will collect in the wound, providing a growth medium for microorganisms. Surgical wound drainage is recognized as a key element in facilitating the healing process.
When does serous drainage appear on a wound?
Therefore, serous is one of the normal types of wound drainage and often appears in the first 48 to 72 hours. 1 Sometimes, thin, watery drainage appears that is tinged with pink from a small number of red blood cells.