surgical drain


surgical drain

A drain that withdraws blood, pus, or other fluids from an operative site. It may be placed in an abscess, e.g., to speed recovery from a localized infection, or in a cyst or seroma, to remove collected fluids and cells. Drains may also be inserted into obstructed organs to relieve pressure resulting from fluid buildup within the organs. Surgical drains are composed of a variety of substances, such as latex or plastic. See also: drain