Had JP drain fracture on one week removal. Dr was unable to remove the 3 cm part under skin. Is this safe?

Sorry this happened to you.  The piece of drain should be removed.  I would recommend that it be removed sooner rather than later, due to the chance of infection.  But, your PS knows the situation the best, and he/she should be competent to help you determine the best timing for removal.  Best of luck!

It is safe to have a small fragment of the silicon drain under the skin. The main risk will be an infection on the place of the drain, but this will extremely rare. And it is better to wait for the swelling and inflammation to go away, and it will be much easier to remove the drain.

you didn't mention what procedure you had done, and, while the drain should be removed at some point, I don't think it is overly dangerous. Check with you physician or resubmit with a bit more info. Good luck.

R Mandraccia MD



Ft Myers Fl and Oklahoma City, OK

Usually it is better to remove it sooner than later. The risk of infection goes up with time.  Best of luck.

This is unusual but could happen and unfortunately happened to you. You can wait to remove it later, but I would think it is easier now than few months later. The risk infection is low but I am concerned that scar will make it harder after few months. 

Generally speaking, a retained foreign body, like a JP drain, should be removed relatively soon.  The JP drain is considered contaminated because it was in communication with the outside world.  Because it is contaminated, it has the possibility of giving rise to infection. This is not an emergency, but  most surgeons would remove the retained drain sooner than 2 to 3 months. There may be a specific reason in your circumstance that it is appropriate to wait that long, so it is probably worth discussing this with your surgeon. I hope this helps. Best wishes.