Is it a JP or is it a Blake?

[HappyNurse2005]

When I was in school, they were called Jackson Pratt (JP) drains. On orientation, a pt had a drain, which my preceptor was calling a Blake. I was like, uhh, it looks like a JP drain.

So, was there a switch to Blake? or is it an either/or thing? (everyone on my unit calls them a Blake) or is it a brand name?

Thanks!

[stevierae]

alyca said:

Umm....if it looks like a grenade, it's a JP (Jackson Pratt). If it is round and flat with springs inside, it is a HemoVac (HV). Not sure about the blake.

NO. That is incorrect; sorry. In the case of a Jackson Pratt vs. a Blake, the reservoir is not what defines the drain--the drain itself (and whether it is flat or round) defines the drain.

The "grenade" is simply a bulb--a reservoir. Both a JP drain (flat) AND a Blake drain (round) can be connected to that bulb; commonly referred to as a "grenade" or "JP bulb." (I guess you could call it a "Blake" bulb if you were using a Blake drain, but no one I have ever known does.)

This may sound nitpicky, but it's important to chart accurately in the event, 6 years down the road, there was litigation surrounding the drain, and the manufacturers of the drain were named as defendants for, say, a defective product. It would be a real pain (and an expensive embarrassment to counsel) to backtrack and find out who supplied the hospital with Blakes at the time, serve them with subpoenas, take their depos, and then find out that the drain was, in fact, a Jackson Pratt--by a different manufacturer.

As an operating room nurse, if I open a Jackson-Pratt drain, I chart Jackson Pratt, and what size --7 mm. or 10 mm.--and, if it were a Blake, I'd chart that it was a Blake, and what size. I wouldn't guess, and I wouldn't expect anyone else on med-surg or ICU to guess--what I charted is what they received in their patient. Also, I have the packaging to refer to and charge appropriately (and send to purchasing for reorder/restocking purposes.)

Now, to make things even more complicated, there are Hemovacs--and then there are Reliavacs. They each come with their own drains and extension tubing, and the reservoirs look very similar. But they are a different animal than either JPs or Blakes. And, most people tend to use the terms "Hemovac" and "Reliavac" interchangeably. Indeed, both reservoirs have a spring inside--after you empty the reservoir, you squeeze it flat (like an accordion) to get the air out, then reseal it. Repeat the process when it fills with blood/fluid again. Again, for the same reasons I mentioned above, don't chart a Hemovac as a Reliavac if it's not (and vice versa)----you never know if litigation involving the product will surface 5 or 6 years down the road, and you don't want the wrong manufacturers/distributors named.

I have never seen Argyle chest tubes hooked to anything but a Pleurevac, which in turn went to suction.

[grimmy, RN]

Ditto on stevierae; I've never seen a chest tube to a bulb, but I have seen (and put together) blakes that connect to a pleurovac on a y-connector. and, again, steph is so right - or nurses have to document exactly what we use as implants. so if you're unsure, check the periop record.

[TracyB,RN, RN]

Dang. Never heard of a Blake or a Reliavac.

Thanks for that link with pics, Marie : )