If you are having a mastectomy for breast cancer treatment, or reconstructive breast surgery, you will most likely have surgical drains in place when you go home. For most patients, the drains are a daunting obstacle on an already arduous trek. AN EXPLANATION ABOUT DRAINS AND THEIR PURPOSE The drains,…

        If you’ve had a mastectomy, or if one (unfortunately) is in your future, you’ve probably heard or read about the dreaded drains. They are no fun. At all. Necessary evils, that’s what Jackson-Pratt drains are. But we do and deal with what we must, right? So, what’s the best way to manage those…

        Yearly, millions of women and men in the United States return home from the hospital, with one or more drains inserted in the surgical site. The drains are placed during certain surgeries to carry fluids away from the surgical site, a process that helps with healing. A drain may need to…

    By Mary Robinson Prody R.N. “Half my tears after my breast surgery were related to my cancer diagnosis, but the other half were related to those darn drains.” When I asked my home health care patient what upset her most about the drains, she answered, “While I understood the need for drains to…

Drainage bulbs can be frustrating for patients and caregivers. But they don’t have to be, thanks to an innovative R.N., her mother and a sewing machine. As a wound care professional, you’ve probably had at least some experience with patients who need drains as part of the post-procedure healing process. But what you might not…