Two Drains and a Dressing

In practice

At the end of a large abdominal operation, the surgeon places two drains, one on each side of the abdomen. Kai, the scrub person, has two securing sutures loaded and passes them one at a time; each drain is sutured to the skin near its exit site. Kai passes the drains' tubing off the field to the circulating nurse, who connects each to its collection device. The circulating nurse labels the drains left and right on the record, so the recovery team can tell them apart. The surgeon closes the skin and Kai passes the main dressing, plus smaller sterile dressings for each drain site. Before the patient is moved, Kai and the circulating nurse count every line aloud: two drains, a urinary catheter, and the intravenous lines managed by anesthesia. During the move to the stretcher, the circulating nurse holds the drain tubing and collection devices so they cannot pull. In recovery, the circulating nurse's report includes both drains, their locations, the dressing, the catheter and the closure method.