Stripping JP drains

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The other day I was stripping a JP drain and it didn't seem like anything was moving down into the bulb even though you could clearly see drainage in the tubing.

Can someone give me some advice on the best way to strip a JP drain? Should the tubing stick together after stripping it for better suction besides the bulb being compressed?

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Specializes in Transplant, homecare, hospice.

Just keep workin' it. Eventually, you'll move things just right and it'll start flowing again. Or you can get an order to flush the drain if it needs it. That's probably in an extreme case scenario...we do that from time to time...

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Yes the tubing should stick together because of the suctioning. Like the nurse above stated, keep working it and it will start flowing. Matter of fact, yesterday when I started my shift my patient had a few clots in their tubing and I stripped them right into the bulb and man did the serosang start flowin. The more you do it the more comfortable you will feel about doing it, just make sure you are always holding the tubing closest to the patient very well so you don't irritate the incision site when you are stripping the tubing.

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Specializes in ER/ ICU.

Worst possible scenario- it was clotted off and needed to be pulled.

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