# Surgical Drain --- **Surgical drains** are devices that are used primarily to prevent the accumulation of fluids or drainage from a wound, typically after a [[surgery]]. They can also be used to prevent the accumulation of air (i.e. dead space), or collect and identify fluids. Drains can be either opened or closed. **Open drains** saturate a gauze pad or fill up a stoma bag. They are simpler but more likely to cause an infection. **Closed drains** are formed by tubes draining into a bag or bottle, and are generally less likely to form an infection. Drains can also be active or passive. **Active drains** work by building up a pressure differential (i.e. suction) that can be gentle or strong, depending. **Passive drains** don't build up that suction, and work off the difference in pressure between the inside of a [[body cavity]] and the outside. ## Examples - A **Penrose drain** is a passive drain that must be placed so that they exit in a dependent position. - A **Hemovac** uses suction made from a cylindrical, spring device. - A **Jackson-Pratt** drain uses suction made from a little bulb that sort of looks like a grenade. ___