Flushing JP Drain

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · May 26, 2015

What does your facility protocol state? You should not be performing unknown procedures based upon responses on an anonymous message board! Your patients deserve better. Did you ask your nurse educator?

kidzcare · May 26, 2015

What does your facility protocol state? You should not be performing unknown procedures based upon responses on an anonymous message board! Your patients deserve better. Did you ask your nurse educator?

Agreed. Check your facility's protocol and then have a nurse who has done it before guide you.

Mr. Murse · May 26, 2015

First of all, no one's advice on here will override any of your facility's protocols.

But.......I have never heard of flushing a JP drain. I've heard of STRIPPING a JP, of course, but I'm pretty sure they never get flushed unless it's on placement during surgery. I've had hundreds and hundreds of JP's and never heard of flushing them. I think you may have misunderstood something.......

PghRN15 · May 26, 2015

I agree with the previous post. I have never heard of flushing a JP. Check your facility policy.

VANurse2010 · May 26, 2015

it depends on the setup, but usually theres a stopcock that you close to the drain, then insert sterile saline flush, flush, then open to the drain.

Karou · May 26, 2015

We occasionally flush JP's per physicians order, but they always have a three way stop cock where we can attach the flush to.

Although the bulb is a regular JP, the tubing looks different. When we have one we are flushing the order usually will say to flush with 5-10cc NS per shift or day to prevent against the tubing clogging.

AJJKRN · May 26, 2015

Ours don't come out of surgery with a stopcock, the tubing is just plugged directly into the JP. Pull the tubing off of the JP and flush the tubing with a 10 cc NS flush keeping everything as aseptic as possible. I use ETOH wipes in between all contact like one would an IV line. If taking the line off or putting it back on the JP is a real pain you can take scissors directly out of a sterile package and cut the tip in a diagonal line instead of straight like it comes out of the package onto the JP drain. The OP may be asking because there's not a protocol on this at their work, there isn't one at mine, this is just how I was taught to do it on a heavy surgical trauma floor.

RNperdiem, RN · May 26, 2015

Sometimes a patient comes back from Vascular interventional radiology to get a JP to drain an abscess. Unlike a JP placed for surgical drainage, these will have a stopcock attached and doctors orders for how often to flush. We have prefilled sterile saline syringes and usually flush once a shift. Abscess tend to have a bit of a purulent texture and the flushing keeps the drain patent.

Mr. Murse · May 27, 2015

Interesting. Of the many JP's I've seen, I've yet to have one with a stopcock in the line. Had other drains with stopcocks, truclose and what not, but not JP's. Makes sense though.

AJJKRN · May 27, 2015

Interesting. Of the many JP's I've seen, I've yet to have one with a stopcock in the line. Makes sense though.

Yep, ours doesn't matter if it's placed in IR or OR. I'm thinking it's just what type my facility buys...

gb8852 · May 27, 2015

Of the many JP drains I have taken care of, I have never had to flush them nor have I seen ones with stopcocks. We only strip them with an alcohol wipe to keep the line patent. The only drains I've had to flush are accordian drains. Maybe you have the names mixed up.