Drainless head and neck surgery: A retrospective review of 156 procedures (thyroidectomy, parotidectomy and neck dissections in a tertiary setting)

Abstract

The Southampton experience 1 | INTRODUC TI ON Percutaneous drains are frequently used in head and neck surgery cases. However, although effective at preventing post-operative haematoma formation their use can also be associated with significant complications, including infection, fistulae, pain, psychosocial implications and most notably prolongation of hospital stay. 1 As

Outpatient parotidectomy with or without the use of a post‐operative drain: A retrospective bi‐institutional study

“…The diagnosis of sialocele or seroma and the differentiation between this and a hematoma or even post-operative edema is difficult, especially when no drain is placed, but also when examined by non-ENT practitioners, such as the general practitioner or emergency department doctor, who are unfamiliar in managing these patients in the post-operative course. Previous literature on drainless parotid surgery has not shown a higher frequency of seroma or sialocele formation, whilst these studies included larger sample sizes (6,10,11). Future studies should include short term post-operative follow-up with an ENT physician to evaluate if seroma or sialocele is in fact more apparent.…”

“…Previous literature on drainless parotid surgery has not shown a higher frequency of seroma or sialocele formation, while these studies included larger sample sizes. 6,10,11 Future studies should include short term post-operative follow-up with an ENT physician to evaluate if seroma or sialocele is in fact more apparent. And if seromas would indeed be more common when omitting drain placement, the question is: what is less favourable for the patient: having the nuisance of a drain in situ, or temporary swelling due to a seroma?…”

Efficiency Analysis of Hemostatic Agents in Drainless Neck Surgery: Cellulose-Based Versus Liquid Fibrin Sealants

“…Placing a drain in head and neck surgery is a common practice, but our focus expands toward the quality of life rather than safety alone, drainless surgery is increasingly reported in head and neck surgery, mainly in thyroid surgery [1,2,6,8,9], with a simultaneous increase in the use of fibrin sealants, as well as in parotidectomy and neck dissection surgeries [4,5,7,[10][11][12][13][14].…”