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Accuracy of surgical wound drainage measurements: an analysis and comparison
Author(s) -
Yue Brian,
Nizzero Danielle,
Zhang Chunxiao,
Zyl Natasha,
Ting Jeannette
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
anz journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.426
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-2197
pISSN - 1445-1433
DOI - 10.1111/ans.12657
Subject(s) - medicine , drainage , drainage system (geomorphology) , nursing staff , tube (container) , current (fluid) , surgery , nursing , composite material , geology , ecology , biology , oceanography , materials science
Background Surgical drain tube readings can influence the clinical management of the post‐operative patient. The accuracy of these readings has not been documented in the current literature and this experimental study aims to address this paucity.Methods Aliquots (10, 25, 40 and 90 mL) of black tea solution prepared to mimic haemoserous fluid were injected into U no V ac, R edo V ac and J ackson‐ P ratt drain tubes. Nursing and medical staff from a tertiary hospital were asked to estimate drain volumes by direct observation; analysis of variance was performed on the results and significance level was set at 0.05.Results Doctors and nurses are equally accurate in estimating drain tube volumes. J ackson‐ P ratt systems were found to be the most accurate for intermediate volumes of 25 and 40 mL. For extreme of volumes (both high and low), all drainage systems were inaccurate.Conclusion This study suggests that for intermediate volumes (25 and 40 mL), J ackson‐ P ratt is the drainage system of choice. The accuracy of volume measurement is diminished at the extremes of drain volumes; emptying of drainage systems is recommended to avoid overfilling of drainage systems.