Drain versus No Drain after Thyroidectomy: A prospective Randomized Clinical Study

Background: Drains have been traditionally used routinely after thyroidectomy despite limited evidence to suggest any benefit. We conducted a prospective randomized clinical study to evaluate the necessity of drainage after thyroid surgery.
Methods: This was a prospective randomized clinical study which was conducted at Bugando Medical Centre between March 2009 and February 2010. Patients were randomized into two groups i.e. Group A (drain) and Group B (no drain).
Results: A total of 62 patients were enrolled in this study and randomly assigned to use drains (n=32) or not (n=30). There was no statistically significant difference in the age, gender, mean operating time, volume of fluid collection in thyroid bed, complication rates and the necessity for re-operation between the two groups (P > 0.001). The mean VAS score was significantly reduced more in Group B (non-drained group) than in Group A (drained group) patients on postoperative day 0 and 1 respectively (P < 0.001). The mean amount of intramuscular analgesic requirement was significantly less in the non-drained group than in the drained group (p-value = 0.021). The mean hospital stay was significantly shorter in the non-drained group when compared to the drained group (P = 0.002). The satisfaction of patients was found to be superior in the non-drained group.
Conclusion: We conclude that thyroidectomy without drains is safe and effective and appears to confer several advantages over the routine drainage method and achieves significant reduction of hospital stay, which led to a reduction in costs for the patients