Drain Care
POSTOP INSTRUCTIONS DRAIN CARE
SHOWERING:
- Attach the drainage tubes to a lanyard or towel so that the bottles are not pulling on your skin.
- Using warm soap and water, gently wash around the skin where the drain tubes exit.
- Use a clean towel to pat your wound area dry.
- Dry the rest of your body after you dry your incisions.
- Apply antibiotic ointment (Neosporin, Polysporin) around drainage tube exit sites after showering and in the evening.
Before emptying your drainage tube, you will want to milk or strip your drainage tubing to move clots and prevent drainage blockage.
To milk or strip the drain you will want to:
- Wash your hands either with an alcohol sanitizer or with soap and water.
- With your thumb and forefinger, pinch the flexible tubing close to where it is going into your skin. By doing so, you will prevent pain from pulling or tugging at the drain site.
- With your other thumb and forefinger, you will slide them down the flexible tubing to push any clots into the drainage bulb. Using an alcohol wipe will help your fingers slide down the tubing easier.
- You can repeat the above steps until the clots are in the drainage bulb.
- If you are unable to move a clot into the drainage bulb or you have an abrupt decrease in the amount of drainage in the bulb, please call the office.
EMPTYING THE DRAINAGE TUBE:
DO THIS TWO TIMES A DAY (WHEN YOU WAKE UP AND BEFORE BEDTIME)
- Unplug the drainage plug on the bulb.
- Notice the amount of drainage in the bulb and write it on the chart in “CCs”
-Example: 30cc of drainage from drain #1 - Hold bulb upside down and squeeze the bulb until it is empty of drainage fluid.
- Press the center of the bulb to get the air out.
- When the bulb is collapsed, insert the plug back into the drain hole. DO NOT rinse or clean your drainage bulb under any circumstances. This could make you susceptible to infection.