Lecture Notes: Types of Wound Drainage (Exudate)

Importance of Identifying Wound Drainage

• Understanding wound drainage helps evaluate:
  • Proper wound healing
  • Possible infections
• Key characteristics to pay attention to:
  • Color: Matches expected color for the healing stage?
  • Consistency: Thin and watery or thick?
  • Amount: Is it expected or increasing? (Increase could be negative)
  • Odor: Presence of odor could indicate infection.

Types of Wound Drainage

1. Serous Drainage

• Appearance:
  • Clear and very pale yellow
  • Thin and watery
• Content:
  • Made of blood plasma low in proteins
• Healing Phase:
  • Inflammatory phase of wound healing
• Benefits:
  • Cleans wound by removing old cells/foreign matter
  • Keeps wound bed moist for healing
• Nurse's Role:
  • Ensure it's clear, pale yellow, thin, watery
  • Should not have an odor
  • Monitor amount (should decrease over time)
  • Excessive amount may indicate infection

2. Sanguineous Drainage

• Appearance:
  • Red, mainly consists of blood
  • Thin, watery
  • Can have a coppery, bloody smell
• Occasion:
  • Recent injury or surgery affecting blood vessels
• Healing Role:
  • Keeps wound moist
  • Signals immune response
• Nurse's Role:
  • Early stage: expect bright red, thin
  • Amount should decrease over time
  • Abnormal if amount increases (indicates possible bleeding issues)
  • Check for foul odor or color change (possible infection)

3. Serosanguineous Drainage

• Combination:
  • Mixture of serous and sanguineous
  • Light pink, thin, watery
• Healing Phase:
  • Early phases, such as inflammatory phase
• Nurse's Role:
  • Should be thin, light pink, without odor
  • Monitor for small amounts (should decrease over time)
  • Abnormal if large amounts or odor develops (possible infection)

4. Purulent Drainage

• Appearance:
  • Thick, pus-like
  • Colors can be brown, yellow, green
  • Foul odor
• Content:
  • Dead tissue cells, white blood cells, bacteria, fluid
• Indication:
  • Always abnormal, indicates infection
• Nurse's Role:
  • Report and culture to identify colonizing bacteria
  • Start appropriate antibiotic treatment

Conclusion

• Identifying the type and characteristics of wound drainage is critical for proper wound care and assessment.
• Further videos in the series available via link in the description.