How long does it take for the fluid in my surgical drain to go from red to clear?

Question

I had an open ventral hernia repair with laparoscopic mesh placement seven days ago. the fluid draining into my jackson-pratt is dark red. my surgeon told me it would eventually turn clear-ish pink, and I'm wondering WHEN. I understand how drains work, I'm just wondering if I'm oozing somewhere. is it normal for my fluid to remain dark red seven days post-op, and when to expect the color change to clear fluid.

Gary Lawton, MD, FACS · Answer

Everyone is different.  It can take some time for the drainage to turn pink then yellow.  It may be a week, maybe 10 days.  If the drains remain dark red they are left in longer.  Sometimes up to 2 weeks.

Adam C. Augenstein, MD · Answer

Surgical drains need to stay in place until the volume is low enough that they can be removed. Usually, the fluid tends to trend from more bloody to more clear and pink like you say. Dark red color means that residual blood is still being removed from the space. Occasionall, continuous bloody outflow is a sign that ongoing bleeding is happening. Be sure and follow up closely with your surgeon.

Robert Graper, MD · Answer

the fluid is red indicating there is still blood being evacuated. this could be old blood or new blood. Your surgeon will determin when to remove the drain. good luck.

Michael E. Ciaravino, MD (in memoriam) · Answer

It varies from patient to patient. The drainage can take anywhere from a few days following surgery to a week or two to go from that dark red color to more of a light pink to eventually a clear yellow color. The more active you are post surgery the more drainage you will experience. I wouldn't worry about the color of your drainage at this point, just focus on resting and not being overly active and you should see a decrease in the drainage and change in the color of the drainage in the next few days to a week.

How long does it take for the fluid in my surgical drain to go from red to clear?

Answers (4)