Related Experiment Videos
Postoperative suction drainage of the axilla: for how long? Prospective randomised trial
D Kopelman1, O Klemm, H Bahous
1Department of Surgery B, Rambam Medical Centre, Carmel Hospital, Haifa, Israel.
Objective:
To define the correct time to remove the drain after axillary dissection for carcinoma of the breast.
Design:
Prospective randomised trial.
Setting:
Two public hospitals, Israel.
Subjects:
90 women who required axillary dissection for carcinoma of the breast.
Interventions:
42 were randomised to have the drain removed on postoperative day 3, and 48 to keep the drain in until discharge had decreased to less than 35 ml/24 hours.
Main Outcome Measures:
Formation of seromas or wound infections, need to reinsert the drain, and duration of hospital stay.
Results:
Early removal of the axillary drain was associated with a significantly higher incidence of seromas (9/42 compared with 2/48, p = 0.02) unless the total amount of fluid drained during the first three postoperative days was less than 250 ml.
Conclusion:
Drains should be removed after axillary dissection only when the daily amount of fluid discharged is low, unless the drainage during the first three days is less than 250 ml.