What are the precautions for indwelling a gastric tube

If you observe carefully in the hospital, you will find that many patients have gastric tubes inserted in their bodies. This is a necessary procedure to ensure the patient's nutritional needs and maintain a normal state of life. In fact, this is very uncomfortable and you must pay attention to many things. If you feel unwell, you should ask a doctor to check in time. Here I will tell you about the precautions for placing a gastric tube.

First, fix it properly to prevent it from being bent or falling out.

1. To fix the gastric tube, use white rubber tape to stick it on the tip of the nose. The tape should be changed every day.

2. The length of the gastric tube inserted should be appropriate, generally about 45-55cm for adults. If you suspect the gastric tube has come out, notify your doctor immediately. At this time, nasogastric feeding should be temporarily stopped and nasogastric feeding can only be continued after making sure that the gastric tube is in the stomach. [Note] Method to determine whether the gastric tube is in the stomach: Use a syringe to draw out the stomach contents from the gastric tube. Use a syringe to inflate the gastric tube and use a stethoscope to listen for the sound of air passing through water in the stomach. Insert the stomach tube into the water without escaping bubbles.

3. Keep the gastric tube open to prevent it from getting kinked. When moving or turning the patient, prevent the gastric tube from coming out or breaking.

Second, ensure the patency of the gastric tube and flush and aspirate gastric juice regularly.

1. Rinse regularly, once every 4 hours. When flushing, you should choose a 5 or 10 ml syringe and use 3-5 ml of normal saline to flush the gastric tube according to the model of the gastric tube, surgical site, surgical method, etc. Be careful not to use too much force when rinsing. If there is resistance, do not force it forward to avoid damaging the stomach wall or anastomosis, causing bleeding or anastomotic fistula. If there is resistance during flushing, gastric juice should be withdrawn first. If gastric juice is withdrawn, it means the gastric tube is unobstructed and flushing can be continued. If gastric juice cannot be extracted or the flushing resistance is great, you should notify your doctor and receive timely treatment.

2. Aspirate gastric juice regularly according to the secretion of gastric juice, generally once every 4 hours. When aspirating gastric juice, the suction force should not be too great to avoid damaging the stomach wall and causing mucosal injury and bleeding.

Third, closely observe the color, nature, and amount of gastric juice and keep records.

1. Observe the color and properties of gastric juice: gastric juice is generally dark green (mixed with bile). If the color is bright red, it indicates bleeding in the stomach. If the color is brown, it indicates that there is old blood in the stomach. If there is a change in the color or properties of gastric juice, you should notify your doctor promptly and give appropriate treatment.

2. Accurately record the amount of gastric juice: If the amount of gastric juice is too much, you should notify your doctor and deal with it in time. Avoid causing water and electrolyte imbalance.

Patients cannot adjust the negative pressure by themselves. Too much or too little pressure will affect the treatment effect. The gastrointestinal decompression device should be emptied in time (every shift) or aspirated with a 50 syringe, and the color and amount of the drainage should be recorded to maintain the patency of the gastrointestinal decompression device. The retention time of gastrointestinal decompression should be determined according to the patient's condition. If the anus is exhausted, the abdominal distension disappears, and the bowel sounds recover, the medical staff should be notified in time. The gastric tube should not be removed by yourself.