Drainage systems have been routinely used since the early modern surgical era [1], on the grounds that body fluids and necrotic material offer an optimal growth medium for microorganisms [2]. They are also thought to decrease postoperative pain and wound infection. Suction is the preferred modality: a 1988 study showed that a suction tube placed beneath the rectos sheath was significantly super...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to determine whether repeated clamping of a suction drainage system will result in less external blood loss, blood transfusion and no increase in complications compared to a routine continuous suction drainage system. This was a randomized prospective study on patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. METHODS Group A patients' drains were left clamp...

Introduction: Surgical treatment is the usual therapy for patients with polycystic liver disease and with severe symptoms, yet the results of surgery are often disappointing and the optimal surgical approach is uncertain. Case presentation: We present the case of a 41-year-old Greek woman who underwent combined left hepatectomy with fenestration for symptomatic polycystic liver disease using ul...

Background: If not done properly, suction causes complications such as hypoxia, cardiac arrhythmias or even death. Suction is being used in most hospital wards. Closed Suction appears to have fewer side effects, although studies have reported dissimilar results. Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the effect of open (control) with closed (test) endotracheal suctioning on patients’ Hemodyn...

BACKGROUND The aim of gynecomastia surgery is to restore a normal chest contour with minimal signs of breast surgery. OBJECTIVE The authors examine the rate of complications in gynecomastia surgery when no closed-suction drains are placed. METHODS One hundred thirty-eight consecutive male patients who underwent gynecomastia surgery without drains were retrospectively analyzed to determine w...

All of these eyes were eviscerated under general anesthesia using an evisceration spoon to separate the uveal tissue from the scleral shell. The delivery of the globe contents was assisted by suction machine. In the cases that followed, removal of contents was facilitated by injecting saline in the suprachoroidal space using a blunt cannula to induce choroidal detachment The inside of the globe...

A prospective study of 120 consecutive total hip replacements showed that deep suction drains produced maximal drainage volumes in the first 24 hours. Their continued presence resulted in minimal further drainage, did not reduce the likelihood of haematoma formation and led in some cases to the spread of skin organisms into the wound.

Males of Dytiscinae beetles use specialized adhesive setae to adhere to female elytra during underwater courtship. This coevolution of male setae and female elytra has attracted much attention since Darwin. However, there has been little examination of their biomechanical functioning despite increasing knowledge on biofibrillar adhesion. Here, we report and compare, for the first time, the mech...