Red rubber bulb, cheap and effective vacuum drainage

Area of Science:

• Surgical Innovation
• Medical Devices
• Infection Control

Background:

• Red rubber bulbs have been utilized for vacuum wound drainage since 1975.
• Their effectiveness and lack of major complications have been observed in various surgical procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the vacuum pressure of red rubber bulbs compared to commercial devices.
• To assess the efficacy of cleaning and sterilization methods for reused bulbs.
• To promote the adoption of this cost-effective drainage solution in Thailand.

Main Methods:

• Vacuum pressure measurements of red rubber bulbs and commercial devices.
• Testing manual cleaning processes for residual blood and microorganisms.
• Sterilization validation using standard autoclaving techniques (steam under pressure).

Main Results:

• Red rubber bulbs demonstrated higher vacuum pressure than expensive commercial vacuum wound drainage devices.
• Manual cleaning and autoclaving effectively removed residual blood and microorganisms, ensuring sterility.
• The cleaning and sterilization processes were found to be satisfactory for bulb reuse.

Conclusions:

• Red rubber bulbs are a cheap, effective, and safe alternative for vacuum wound drainage.
• Standard cleaning and autoclaving methods ensure the sterility of reused bulbs.
• This drainage method is recommended for implementation in Thai hospitals and medical schools.