Question about Stryker Drains

I'm not that clear about the Stryker drains,, but we do autotransfusions.. I think you are thinking in the right time frame. I usually use the time the patient comes from the OR to the PACU as the first start 4 hr. start time. I DONT use the time the patient arrives at the unit as the initial start time because that would leave it to drainage >4hrs. At 4 hr, or >400 ml the transfusion should be hung to run over no more than 2 hours. So the second container is documented as being open to drainage at the time you start infusion of the first container. So if your first container actually took 2 hours to infuse, in 2 more hours you would be ready to either hang the second and attach the thrid container or discard and connect to HV if drainage is less than 100ml. I try to look at it in 4 hr drainage/ 2 hr infusion increments.

This probly sounds clear as mud.

We use the Constavac as well. The procedure you describe is much like our own. The start time IS the time of insertion, not upon arrival to any given floor. We only begin reinfusion when 400 cc is obtained within the first 4 hours (50 cc always remain in the container when emptied, so really reinfusing 350 cc). A second reinfusion is done if another 300 cc is obtained within any remaining time of the 6 hour window. The doc prescribes in his/her postop order the max amount that can be reinfused within the 6 hour window. If, however, a pt is draining significantly, providing another 300 cc within this time frame, the physician is contacted with regard to reinfusion of a third and last reinfusion...rarely happens. The doc provides the order if yeah or neah. If the patient is draining slowly over hours (but within the 6 hour window) and finally reaches an initial 400 cc in the container and the drainage is separated into layers, the container is manually shaken to observe if the drainage continues to be layered or dissolved. If dissolved, it is reinfused. If it remains layered, it is not reinfused and discarded as drainage. Good question.

our surgeons use stryker drains tho it appears our hospital's protocal is slightly different to all of yours! we start the clock at the time the drain was inserted and this time is handed over when picking a patient up from PACU as well as actually being written on the stryker drain itself. all blood that is going to be reinfused has to be collected within 6 hrs and reinfused within 8 hrs. would normally start reinfusion once collection gets to about 300cc, infusing no more than 1000.

we reinfuse within 6 hours and only if there is more than 250cc in the drain and no limit on the amount that they will get back. only thing is at 1000cc we turn off the suction and hold their CPM

Funny, we never transfuse.... Help me understand, do you use the blood in the drain container itself? If our patient needs a transfusion based on thier H/H - HGB