i just had my surgery the 4th time since 2004.i had a very large hernia and underwent 2hrs of surgery i had a drain put in to decrease the chance of infection.the drain was removed on oct 14 by the 16th i was in severe pain and ended up in the emergency room to end up being hospitalized with a large abcess where the drain was and cellulitis.the site where the drain was is leaking the pus and blood and im still taking antibiotics my question is how soon is too soon to have the drain taken out in such a circumstance?

The decision to remove a drain, or leave it in, is part of the clinical decision making process and post-operative care determined by an experienced operating surgeon. He/she is most familiar with the surgical technique used, nature of the hernia, and patient issues. Drains, if used are generally removed based on clinical parameters (decreased drainage), rather than an absolute time interval.

Also, whereas superficial infection (cellulitis) can respond to medical therapy, the presence of infected mesh (deeper infection) will generally not respond to antibiotic therapy alone and surgical implantation of any and all mesh may be necessary.

Dr. G.
Don't you mean "surgical EXPLANTATION of any and all mesh may be necessary?"