Drains

[macman213]

What is the purpose of drains in gyno surgery? From my understanding, its to collect fluid buildup. With compression shouldn't that not occur, especially for smaller scale cases? Would drs that typically use drains, allow patients to 'opt out' of that?

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Drains are plastic tubes which may be left inside your chest and exiting through a small opening in the skin.  They are used to drain out any fluid or blood which may tend to accumulate after surgery.

The use of drains is entirely discretionary.  Many surgeons use them for every case; others do not.  It is a matter of their training and experience.  There is no "right" or "wrong" as to whether to use a drain or not.

In my practice, I very rarely use drains -- perhaps one or two per year based on apparent need for them at the time of surgery.

I would speak to your surgeon about his use of drains, etc.  But I would not "opt out" if the surgeon routinely likes to use them.  In fact, if I did something routinely during surgery and the patient wanted to "opt out", I would not operate on that patient.  Please understand, you want the surgeon to use his best judgment and expertise -- you should not be dictating to him what he should do during the surgery -- that should not be your job.

Bottom line:  drains are not the worst thing in the world and they are temporary.  Best to follow your surgeon's advice.

Dr Jacobs