What is a suction drain?
A suction drain is a device that gently pulls fluid from your body. It’s used to prevent extra fluid from building up in your body after surgery or if you have an infection.
The suction drain has a thin flexible tube attached to a squeezable container. One end of the tube is inserted in the area of your body where the fluid is building up. The other end is attached to the flattened container. As the container expands, it draws out the excess fluids. Two common types of suction drains are:
- JP drain (also called a Jackson Pratt drain), which suctions the fluid into a squeezable bulb
- Hemovac drain, which suctions the fluid into a flat container with springs inside
The suction drain will stay in place until the amount of fluid slows or stops.
How do I empty the bulb?
Check the amount of fluid in the container every 2 to 4 hours. Empty it when the container is half full, or every 8 hours, whichever comes first. As you heal, the amount of fluid will get smaller, and you’ll need to empty it less often. Follow these steps:
- Set out your supplies, including a measuring cup, an alcohol wipe, and a pen or pencil.
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
- Remove the cap or open the plug of the container. Do not touch the inside of the cap or plug.
- Empty the fluid into the measuring cup.
- Clean the cap or plug with an alcohol wipe.
- Squeeze the container and hold it flat. While it’s flat, put the cap or plug back on. If you can’t flatten it and close it at the same time, ask someone for help.
- Measure and record how much fluid you collected. Write down the date, time, and amount of fluid. A record chart is on page 2 of this fact sheet. Be sure to bring the record to your next appointment.
- Flush the fluid down the toilet. Rinse the measuring cup.
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
How do I protect my skin?
The skin at the place where the tubing enters your body needs to stay clean to prevent infection. Change the dressing over the area every day. Follow these steps:
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
- Remove the dressing and throw it away.
- Clean the area with an alcohol wipe or with saline solution.
- Check for signs of infection listed below. If you see any of these, contact your healthcare provider.
- Place a new dressing around the tubing.
- Tape the tubing in place against your skin.
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
- Safety pin the drain to your dressing or clothes.
When should I call for help?
Contact your healthcare provider if you experience any of the following:
- Signs of infection, including:
- Increased redness, pain, or swelling
- Fever greater than 101° F (38.4° C)
- Cloudy, yellow, or bad-smelling drainage
- Trouble with the drain, including:
- The container will not stay flat
- The tubing is clogged
- The amount of drainage increases suddenly, or fluid is leaking onto your skin
- The tubing comes out of your skin, or comes unhooked from the container
- The stitches holding the tubing in place come out
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Test-Taking Tip:Answer the question that is asked. Read the situation and thequestion carefully, looking for key words or phrases. Do not read anything into thequestion or apply what you did in a similar situation during one of your clinicalexperiences. Think of each question as being an ideal, yet realistic, situation.After emptying the drainage collection chamber for a postoperativeclient’s portable closed suction wound drainage device, how will thenurse create negative pressure in the system?RationaleCompressing the device expels air in the unit, and closing the plug while it iscompressed reestablishes the closed system and creates negative pressure. A portablesuction device usually is not attached to a wall suction unit, which would provideexcessive suction. Milking the tubing promotes patency but will not create negativepressure. Although a portable wound drainage container is kept below the level of theinsertion site, which facilitates drainage by gravity, this will not create negativepressure in the system.Attaching the device to a wall suction unitMilking the tubing toward the suction deviceCompressing the device while closing the air plugKeeping the device in a position lower than the site of insertion
Which risk associated with estrogen therapy would the nurse include inthe teaching plan for a client who smokes?
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6/17/2021Elsevier Adaptive Quizzing - Quiz performanceRationaleIn chronic smokers, estrogen therapy increases the risk of thromboembolic disorderssuch as a stroke. Estrogen therapy does not cause hypocalcemia. Estrogen therapyalong with oral contraceptives may cause abnormal vaginal bleeding in some clients;this condition is not dependent on a client’s smoking habit. Multiple pregnancies mayoccur with the use of clomiphene.Test-Taking Tip:Sometimes the reading of a question in the middle or toward the endof an exam may trigger your mind with the answer or provide an important clue to anearlier question.Which conditions are cardiovascular manifestations of alkalosis?Selectall that apply. One, some, or all responses may be correct.Multiple pregnanciesThromboembolic disorders
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6/17/2021Elsevier Adaptive Quizzing - Quiz performance15/201with chronic constipation and suspected Hirschsprung disease?
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