Purulent Wound Drainage Purulent drainage is a sign of infection. It's a white, yellow, or brown fluid and might be slightly thick in texture. It's made up of white blood cells trying to fight the infection, plus the residue from any bacteria pushed out of the wound.
Normal wound drainage involves the discharge of thin, watery fluids that may be clear or contain tiny amounts of blood. Abnormal wound drainage is when the discharge is thick, bloody, or has a milky white, yellow, green, gray, or brown color (often with a foul smell).
Serous drainage
It is often thin and watery and will usually have a clear to yellowish or brownish appearance. Small amounts of serous drainage are normal during the first stages of healing. Continuous serous drainage may be a sign that there are high levels of bacteria living on the surface of the wound.
A wound that's healing can produce a clear or pink fluid. An infected wound can produce a yellowish, bad-smelling fluid called pus.
Purulent drainage is liquid or discharge that oozes from a wound. People usually observe this fluid has a milky look and texture. Purulent drainage is easily spotted, as it is thick and can vary in color, from grayish or yellow to green and even brown. Purulent drainage usually indicates a sign of an infection.
After the initial discharge of a bit of pus and blood, your wound should be clear. If the discharge continues through the wound healing process and begins to smell bad or have discoloration, it's probably a sign of infection.
Purulent drainage is a sign of infection. It's a white, yellow, or brown fluid and might be slightly thick in texture. It's made up of white blood cells trying to fight the infection, plus the residue from any bacteria pushed out of the wound. There may be an unpleasant smell to the fluid, as well.
It's common to have small amounts of fluid drain or ooze from a scrape. This oozing usually clears up gradually and stops within 4 days. Drainage is not a concern as long as there are no signs of infection.
There are four types of wound drainage: serous, sanguineous, serosanguinous, and purulent.
Wounds need to be covered so that they can heal properly. When a wound is left uncovered, the new surface cells that are being created can easily dry out. When these important cells dry out, it tends to slow down the healing process. A wound should be covered using a clean bandage.
What does it mean when a scab turns yellow? Scabs can sometimes turn yellow as a wound heals. However, yellow scabs can sometimes indicate a skin infection, such as impetigo and cold sores.
Serous drainage is a clear, thin, and watery exudate that typically appears during the inflammatory stage of wound healing.
Color: Vaginal discharge is healthy if it's clear, milky white or off-white. Dark yellow, brown, green or grey discharge may indicate an infection or other issue.
Serous Wound Drainage
Serous drainage is mostly clear or slightly yellow thin plasma that is just a bit thicker than water. It can be seen in venous ulceration and also in partial-thickness wounds. Generally, this is not one of the types of wound drainage that leaves much color on a bandage.
You also may see some clear fluid oozing from the wound. This fluid helps clean the area. Blood vessels open in the area, so blood can bring oxygen and nutrients to the wound. Oxygen is essential for healing.
The wound may drain for the first 2 days. Cover the wound with a clean dry dressing. Change the dressing if it becomes soaked with blood or pus.
Wound bed. Healthy granulation tissue is pink in colour and is an indicator of healing. Unhealthy granulation is dark red in colour, often bleeds on contact, and may indicate the presence of wound infection. Such wounds should be cultured and treated in the light of microbiological results.
Indicators of wound infection include redness, swelling, purulent exudate, smell, pain, and systemic illness in the absence of other foci. Subtle signs of local wound infection include unhealthy “foamy” granulation tissue, contact bleeding, tissue breakdown, and epithelial bridging.
Signs that a wound is not healing properly and may be infected include feeling warm to the touch, swelling, discharge or pus, long lasting pain, or fever.
Whether it's a surgical wound or one that seemed minor at first but is getting worse instead of better, any wound that's infected should be evaluated by a medical provider. Signs a wound may be infected include: Increasing pain or redness. Drainage or bleeding that won't stop.