Wound drainage

NCLEX-PN
Reduction of Risk Potential
Drag and drop
Difficulty 3 of 5

Question

During dressing changes for several adult clients, the nurse describes the drainage. Sort the observations by drainage type.

Serous

Thin, clear fluid

Sanguineous

Bright red fresh blood

Serosanguineous

Pink fluid containing a little blood

Purulent

Thick, opaque green fluid

Answer

Serous: Thin, clear fluid · Sanguineous: Bright red fresh blood · Serosanguineous: Pink fluid containing a little blood · Purulent: Thick, opaque green fluid

Rationale

Color and consistency help describe wound drainage consistently. Newly purulent drainage needs reporting because it is not an expected wound finding.

RememberDescribe wound drainage by its appearance and report new pus.

Sources

Sources marked “Adapted from” are licensed under CC BY 4.0. We changed the material: its facts are rewritten into an original question, answer options and rationale. The original authors and publishers do not endorse SwipeExam.

Adapted from Open RN Nursing Skills, 2nd edition: Chapter 20 Wound Care Open RN (Chippewa Valley Technical College) · License: CC BY 4.0 · Retrieved November 2, 2026 · CHECKLIST FOR WOUND ASSESSMENT › Steps; Anatomic Location and Type of Wound › Type and Amount of Exudate · 2nd edition, 2023

Last verified: November 4, 2026 2 independent automated checks Question rn-rrp-02529, version 1

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