A Blanchard Valley Health System Auxiliary initiative will improve patients’ comfort as they recover from surgery–and the idea was the brainchild of a BVHS patient and associate, whose own recovery was assisted by her training as a nurse, and by a creative mind that made her think of using a tool belt to hold surgical drains.
Kay Alexander, a licensed practical nurse who still works per diem at BVHS, was diagnosed with breast cancer in late 2022. After discussing her options, she decided to undergo a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction at Bluffton Hospital.
Patients leaving the hospital after a mastectomy–as well as several types of abdominal surgery–must wear drains to catch fluid for at least a week, and often longer. It’s important to find a comfortable way to hold the drains in position.
The usual recommendation is to pin them to one’s clothes. However, Alexander was looking for a more comfortable way to secure them after her January mastectomy.
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