An alternative method for securing surgical drains in the neck.

A method for securing closed suction drains in the neck is described where it serves to prevent leakage, slippage and accidental removal. This method involves passing a stay suture through the most proximal holes of the drain and suturing it to the skin and an overlying short length of the tube externally. Drains secured in this manner can be left in the wound for up to fourteen days with no associated complications from our experience in sixty-two patients following head and neck surgery.