What is the typical appearance of chest tube drainage immediately after CABG surgery?

• A. Serous
• B. Sanguinous (bloody)
• C. Clear
• D. Purulent

Answer: (B)

Immediately after CABG, chest tube drainage is typically sanguinous (bloody) because the mediastinal tissues and graft sites bleed from surgical manipulation and vessel disruption. This bleeding is expected in the early postoperative period. Over the next hours, the drainage often shifts from bright red to serosanguinous and then to more serous as bleeding diminishes and healing begins. If drainage remains persistently bright red in large volumes, that may signal ongoing bleeding needing assessment. In contrast, serous drainage is clear/yellow and purulent drainage would indicate infection—neither is the typical immediate appearance after CABG.