Question

A physician calls the nurse for an update on his client who underwent abdominal surgery 5 hours ago. The physician asks the nurse for the total amount of drainage collected in the Hemovac since surgery. The nurse reports that according to documentation, no drainage has been recorded. When the nurse finishes on the telephone, she goes to assess the client. Which assessment finding explains the absence of drainage?

a) The client has a nasogastric (NG) tube in place that drained 400 ml.
b) The client has been lying on his side for 2 hours with the drain positioned upward.
c) There is a moderate amount of dry drainage on the outside of the dressing.
d) The Hemovac drain isn't compressed; instead it's fully expanded.

Answer 1

Option (d).

Step-by-step explanation:

Hemovac drain may be defined as the drain used to remove the fluids produced in the patients after surgery. This device is circular connected with the tube.

Hemovac needs the compress to perform the suction. The fully expanded hemovac do not allow any suction, this causes the malfunctioning of the drain. The abdominal surgery patient produces large amount of abdominal drainage. The incisional content is not drained by NG tube. Dry drainage on the dressing is not related to hemovac drainage.

Thus, the correct answer is option (d).