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).
Color is generally clear to pale yellow (normal), red (fresh blood), brown (dried or old blood), white (see above), or blue-green (usually indicative of Pseudomonas infection and should be cultured).
Moderate amount of drainage: Wound tissue is wet, and drainage covers 25% to 75% of the size of the bandage. Large or copious amount of drainage: Wound tissue is filled with fluid, and exudate covers more than 75% of the bandage.
Pain is an essential indicator of poor wound healing and should not be underestimated. Pain can occur from the disease process, surgery, trauma, infection or as a result of dressing changes and poor wound management practices.
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.
If you notice purulent drainage or any other symptoms of infection in a wound, contact your doctor right away.
Purulent wound drainage
In worsening cases, there can be yellow drainage from the wound or green drainage from the wound, and there can even be an unpleasant odor. This type of drainage is always a cause for concern as it indicates an infection.
Serous drainage is a clear, thin, and watery exudate that typically appears during the inflammatory stage of wound healing.
On average, JP drains can continue to drain for 1 to 5 weeks. Keep a log and bring it to the clinic for discussion so your surgical team can determine the best time to remove the drain. slide the fluid towards the bulb. hands with a clean towel.
A wound that's healing can produce a clear or pink fluid. An infected wound can produce a yellowish, bad-smelling fluid called pus. When fluid seeps from a wound, it is called wound drainage.
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.
Wound drainage that turns cloudy, yellow, or tan is called seropurulent and is usually a sign that the wound is becoming colonized and treatment changes are needed.
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.
Wound drainage is a fluid produced from the blood vessels during the inflammatory phase of healing, which is similar to blood plasma. Exudate consists of a mixture of water, proteins, white blood cells, inflammatory mediators, and electrolytes, which play essential roles in wound healing.
A wound will consist of different tissue types at different stages of healing. These tissue types are often described by colour – Black, Yellow, Red and Pink and tools such as the “Wound Healing Continuum” (Gray et al, 2010) have been developed.
Wait until your wound has fully healed and allow 4 weeks after any stitches have been removed before you start to apply Bio-Oil. To apply, massage in a small amount until it has been fully absorbed. You need to be dedicated and ensure you regularly massage and moisturise your scar twice a day for at least 3 months.
However, the entire wound care can be distilled into five basic principles. These five principles include wound assessment, wound cleansing, timely dressing change, selection of appropriate dressings, and antibiotic use.
A weeping wound can soften the wound bed and damage surrounding skin. In turn, this endangers healing and provides a nutritional environment for germs. If you have a weeping wound, it's important to absorb the excess fluid without drying it out and apply an appropriate wound dressing.
It's important to clean a wound before applying a plaster or dressing. This will reduce the risk of infection and encourage the healing process.