Retained blood syndrome

Retained blood syndrome (RBS) results from the ineffective evacuation of blood and fluid from a surgical or traumatic wound after surgery. This can happen after nearly any operation or major trauma, but especially operations like heart surgery, thoracic surgery, trauma surgery, general surgery, orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, pelvic surgery or plastic surgery. In nearly all of these specialties, surgical drains are needed to remove blood and fluid from the surgical wounds in the early phase of recovery. RBS can develop when these drains fail to perform the required task that is to drain blood, fluid, and air from the surgical wound.

Although RBS can occur after any procedure that requires a drainage catheter, RBS is probably best recognized after cardiac surgery, where chest tubes are used to drain blood from around the heart and lungs in the early hours after surgery. If the evacuation of blood is incomplete, RBS can occur. Clinically, RBS can be recognized acutely or subacutely. When it presents acutely, it is usually fresh thrombus around the heart or lungs presenting as tamponade or hemothorax. When it presents subacutely, it results in bloody pleural or pericardial effusions.

Once RBS occurs, subsequent procedures may be needed to remedy it. In an analysis of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) data from 2010, RBS could be demonstrated in 17% of patients. In this analysis, mortality was doubled from 3% to 6%, length of stay was increased by 5 days, and average costs were 55% higher. Patients with RBS, therefore, appear to be at increased at risk for complications and costs.

...
Wikipedia