A pigtail drain is a flexible medical catheter with a coiled tip that prevents dislodgement, used for draining fluid or air from the body in various medical scenarios like pleural effusions and abscesses. Coiled Tip: The distinctive looped end of a pigtail drain, resembling a pig's tail, is. Drain systems are a common feature of post-operative surgical management and are used to remove drainage from a wound bed to prevent infection and the delay of wound healing. A drain may be superficial to the skin or deep in the tissue, duct, or cavity. The interventional radiologist will insert a flexible catheter through a small cut in your skin and will guide the catheter to the collection of fluid. The drain insertion site may be covered loosely with a 2x2 or 4x4 gauze in the meantime. In general, drainage volume may be high immediately following insertion, but is expected to taper and transition from purulent/bloody to drainage. The pigtail catheter is the treatment of choice for liquefied intra-abdominal collections or abscesses, which helps to reduce post-procedure hospital stays and complications.