A Jackson-Pratt Drain (also called a JP Drain) is a closed-suction medical device that is commonly used as a post-operative drain for collecting bodily fluids from surgical sites. The device consists of an internal drain connected to a grenade-shaped bulb via plastic tubing.[1]
The purpose of a drain is to prevent fluid (blood or other) build-up in a closed ("dead") space,[2] which may cause either disruption of the wound and the healing process or become an infected abscess, with either scenario possibly requiring a formal drainage/repair procedure (and possibly another trip to the operating room). The drain is also used to evacuate an internal abscess before surgery when an infection already exists.[3] If the drainage tubing becomes clogged or otherwise clotted off, the benefits are not realized from drainage.