Discharge

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] ; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief:  Aditya Govindavarjhulla, M.B.B.S. [2]

## Overview

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Discharge is an exudate draining from the wounds. It can be internal or external. It is formed from the serum.

## Classification

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### Serous

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(resembling serum)

* Clear or straw colored in appearance.
* Arises from protein and fluid in the tissue.
* Supports the healing process and contains protein, electrolytes, sugar and white cells.
* Occurs as a normal process of healing.

### Sanguinous

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(contains blood cells)

* Red drainage from trauma to a blood vessel.
* This may occur with the cleaning of a wound or disturbance to a wound.
* The consistency appears thin and watery with sanguinous fluid.
* Discharge fluid contains red blood cells, which give it its red appearance.

### Serosanguinous

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(consisting of serum and blood)

* Serosanguinous fluid appears pink due to a small number of blood cells mixing with serous drainage.
* Thin and water-like consistency.
* Serosanguinous fluid is a normal occurrence in the healing of wounds.

### Purulent

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(containing pus)

* Purulent discharge is yellow, gray or green in color.
* It results when infection occurs.
* The discharge fluid has infectious microbes, white cells and other inflammatory cells.
* The volume of the exudate increases with prolonged infection.

### Mucopurulent

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(containing mucus and pus)

* Mucopurulent discharge is pus with mucoid cells.
* It is a whitish-yellow or yellow substance produced during inflammatory responses of the body.
* It can be noticed in regions of pyogenic bacterial infections.
* It consists of a thin, protein-rich fluid, known as liquor puris, and dead neutrophils (white blood cells), which are part of the body's innate immune response.

### Hemorrhagic

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(characterized by hemorrhage)

* Hemorrhagic discharge indicates a leaking blood vessel leaking blood.
* The consistency is thicker than sanguinous fluid.
* It may require surgical methods to control bleeding.

## References

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