A patient has underlying cardiac disease and requires careful monitoring of his fluid balance. He also has a draining wound. Which of the following methods for evaluating his wound drainage would be most appropriate for assessing fluid loss?
a. Draw a circle around the area of drainage on a dressing.
b. Classify drainage as less or more than the previous drainage.
c. Weigh the patient at the same time each day on the same scale.
d. Weigh dressings before they are applied and after they are removed.
D
By weighing the dressing before it is applied and after it is removed, the nurse can accurately determine the amount of drainage. Weighing the patient daily would evaluate his overall fluid balance but is not sensitive to fluid loss through the wound. Marking a circle around the wound is useful for determining the extent of drainage seeping out of a wound but it does not provide information on how much fluid is draining.
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