Out of Town Patients
Some of our patients travel a great distance for their surgery. They often return home shortly after their surgery and cannot physically come back to Dallas for their post op visits or drain removal.
While Dr. Rai prefers to remove the surgical drains himself, some patients can have their surgical drains removed closer to their home by someone they trust (a nurse, a physician, or relative with medical experience) if they feel comfortable. Dr. Rai will then ask the patient to try to follow up with him through phone calls, emails, or Facetime meetings. Dr. Rai created this video below to demonstrate how to properly remove the surgical drains.
The black stitch is cut on one side of the knot. The drain bulb is open to air to take it off suction. The drain tubing is pulled out. Neosporin and a band-aid are applied over the drain holes. The ACE wrap is reapplied.
After the drain removal the post op instructions include:
- Apply neosporin and a band-aid on the drain hole.
- Change the band-aid and neosporin out at every shower for 3 days
- After 3 days no need to use a band-aid
- Continue the ACE wrap for 2 days then the patient can go into a front open bra
- The patient will still limit their upper body activity and heavy lifting for 3 weeks