Patent ID: 7241287

Claim:
A surgical drain system for draining wound fluids and sensing a physiological property of a tissue in a patient's body comprising: a) a surgical drain configured to be fully implanted in a patient's body, to rest against the surface of at least one tissue in the patient's body, to house at least one sensing element, and to drain wound fluids from the vicinity of the tissue, wherein the surgical drain is not configured to penetrate the tissue, comprising: i. a first surface located on an outer side of the surgical drain; ii. a drain portion configured to rest against a substantial length of the tissue within the body; iii. a plurality of drain holes spaced along substantially the entire length of the drain portion; iv. a first sensing element integrated with the first surface, configured to sense a physiological property of the tissue proximate to the first surface; and b) a tube in fluid communication with the surgical drain configured to transport the drained wound fluids out of the body.