5. Effect of temporary drain clamping
Several reports regarding the delayed release of the drain have been published in the last
decade. After surgery, reactive blood flow increases, with the peak flow appearing within
five minutes once the tourniquet is deflated(Larsson et al. 1977). Most of the blood loss in
TKA occurs during the first few postoperative hours.(Jou IM 1993; Senthil Kumar et al. 2005)
Control of the bleeding is very important during this period. This may be the reason that
temporary clamping of the drain tube can significantly reduce the volume of the drained
blood.