BACKGROUND
Resources are very limited in third world countries. Suction drains are expensive. We describe a technique of using a drip-giving set and bag to construct a suction drain following thyroid and parotid surgery to prevent the formation of haematomas.
TECHNIQUE
A sterilised drain set is used; small side holes are made in the tubes using scissors (average 6–10 holes) (Fig 1). The drip bag is emptied and a negative pressure is created (Fig 2). (Saline is used for the operation and is not discarded.) The drip set is connected to the bag to act as a suction drain. The roller clamp can be used to control flow and prevent the loss of negative pressure when changing the bottle. It can also be used as a simple drain. The closed drainage system helps to prevent infection.
Figure 1.
Side holes are created in the tube part of the drip-giving set using scissors
Figure 2.
Air is evacuated from the saline bag to create negative pressure and the bag is connected to the tube.
DISCUSSION
We have used this technique in over 50 patients in Gadarif Teaching Hospital. It is effective, cheap, removal is simple and we did not encounter any problems.