Drain

How it is used

Nurses check the drain site, measure and record the drain output, empty the drain and watch for changes in colour or amount ('fresh blood', 'serous', 'bile-stained'). The surgical team decides when to 'remove' or 'take out' the drain, often when the output falls.

Example sentences

1. There's been 300 ml of fresh blood in the drain in the last hour; I'm calling the surgeons.

2. Your drain can probably come out tomorrow if very little fluid is coming out.

Common collocations

• wound drain
• drain output
• empty the drain
• remove a drain
• chest drain

Related terms

• incisionA cut made through the skin and tissue by a surgeon during an operation.
• woundDamage to the skin and the tissue under it, caused for example by an injury, an operation or long pressure.
• fluid balanceThe difference between all the fluid a patient takes in (drinks, drips, feeds) and all the fluid they lose (urine, vomit, drains) over a set time.
• exudateFluid that leaks out of a wound, made of serum, cells and sometimes pus; its amount, colour and smell help nurses judge how the wound is doing.

More terms: Wound Care

• dressing
• pressure ulcer
• heal
• suture