Question

A patient had abdominal surgery last week. The patient calls the office and says the wound is now draining thick white material and it smells funny. How should the nurse document this drainage?

1. Serous
2. Purulent
3. Fibrinous
4. Catarrhal

Answer 1

The nurse should document the drainage as purulent, suggesting a possible infection that needs medical attention.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse should document the wound drainage as purulent, which indicates the presence of pus and is usually associated with a bacterial infection. Purulent drainage is typically thick, white, yellow, green, or brown, and it can have a foul odor due to the degradation of cellular materials and the presence of bacteria. This type of drainage suggests that the patient's wound may be infected, requiring medical evaluation and treatment.