Safety and Efficacy of Drains in Orthopaedic Surgeries

Abstract

While drains have been routinely used in orthopaedic surgery for postoperative wound drainage following
inpatient surgical procedures, there are no published reports on the efficacy of drains for outpatient orthopaedic
surgeries. This review reports our experience between July 2021 and January 2022 with the use of drains for
35 patients having outpatient orthopaedic surgery. Consequences of drain usage were determined by medical
chart review and a follow-up telephone survey in which patients were asked a series of questions regarding the
drains used for their operation. None of the patients had an infection or any other medical problem as a result
of drain usage and there were no problems with wound healing. Patients were quite capable of managing and
removing their own drains. We conclude that drains are effective and can be used safely for outpatient orthopaedic
surgical procedures.