Patient Education Cancer of the Pancreas: A Care Guide | Page 20

10. Put all of the waste paper and
used supplies, including gloves,
in the plastic bag and tie it shut.
Throw it away in your garbage
can.
11. Wash your hands again with soap
and warm water.
Keep a dressing on your wound as
long as you have any drainage on the
dressing.
Bulb Drain
A bulb drain (also called a JP or
Jackson-Pratt ® drain) has a bulb that
attaches to the end of the tube. The
fluid from the wound comes through
the tube and collects in the bulb. The
bulb needs to be opened and emptied
every few hours or as directed by
your doctor. Your dressing may only
need to be changed daily with this
type of drain. from the drain, it is safe to gently pull
it out. This will not harm anything.
As the drain gets filled up, it will
begin to expand. It should stay as flat
as possible if there is no drainage in
the bulb.
Emptying the Bulb Drain Drain Record
Use a small medicine or measuring
cup to measure the fluid each time
you empty the bulb.
Keep a record of the amount of fluid
you collect from your drain in a 24-
hour period.
If you are emptying this more than
once a day, you need to add up each
time you empty it.
Once you empty the bulb, squeeze
it to remove the air from the bulb,
and replace the cap while holding
the bulb. This causes a suction to be
formed in the drain to pull more fluid
out. If there is a piece of clot hanging
You will be emptying your drains
and recording the amounts on a drain
record. Drain as often as needed and
record the amount of drainage each
time on the drain record. Take it to
each appointment with your surgeon.
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