How long is the gastric tube in an adult

For patients who cannot eat through their mouths, a gastric tube is usually inserted to ensure that the patient has adequate nutrition and water to prevent malnutrition. However, the requirements for inserting a gastric tube are very high for doctors. If the gastric tube is inserted too deep, it will affect the patient's health. If it is inserted too shallowly, it will also be detrimental to the patient's health. How long is the gastric tube for adults?

How long is the gastric tube in adults?

Insertion depth: 45 to 55 cm for adults

There are three ways to judge:

① Use a syringe to draw out gastric juice;

②Put the end of the gastric tube in a cup of water. No gas escapes from the tube. If a large amount of gas escapes, it indicates that the tube has entered the trachea by mistake.

③ Use a syringe to inject 10 cm of air into the gastric tube. At the same time, use a stethoscope to hear the sound of air passing through water in the stomach.

Indications

1. Acute gastric dilatation.

2. Upper gastrointestinal tract perforation or gastrointestinal obstruction.

3. Patients with acute abdomen and obvious bloating or before major abdominal surgery.

4. Comatose patients or those who cannot eat orally, such as patients with oral diseases or after oral and throat surgery.

5. Patients who cannot open their mouths, such as tetanus patients.

6. Premature infants, critically ill patients, and patients who refuse to eat.

7. Patients who commit suicide by taking poison or accidentally ingest poisoning and need gastric lavage.

Contraindications

1. Patients with cancer or acute inflammation in the nasopharynx.

2. Patients with esophageal varices, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, gastritis, nasal obstruction, esophageal and cardia stenosis or obstruction, heart failure and severe hypertension.

3. Patients who have swallowed corrosive drugs.

How to operate

1. The operator washes his hands, prepares all the necessary equipment, takes them to the patient's bedside, checks the patient, explains the purpose of the operation and how to cooperate to the patient and his family, and wears a mask and gloves.

2. Assist the patient to take a semi-sitting position, lay a treatment towel, place a curved tray at the corner of the mouth, clean the patient's nostrils, and select the nostril with smooth ventilation to insert the tube. Take out the gastric tube and measure the insertion length of the tube. The insertion length for adults is 45-55cm. There are two measurement methods: one is the distance from the hairline to the xiphoid process of the sternum; the other is the distance from the tip of the nose to the earlobe and then to the xiphoid process of the sternum.

3. Lubricate the front part of the gastric tube with paraffin oil, hold the gauze with the left hand to support the gastric tube, hold the front part of the gastric tube with the right hand with forceps, insert the gastric tube along the selected nostril, first slightly upward and then parallel, and then slowly and gently insert it backward and downward until it reaches the throat (14-16cm), and ask the patient to swallow. When the patient swallows, push the gastric tube forward to the predetermined length. Initially fix the gastric tube and check whether it is coiled in the mouth.

4. There are usually three ways to determine the position of the gastric tube:

(1) Gastric juice extraction method, which is the most reliable method to determine whether the gastric tube is in the stomach. Then use tape to fix the gastric tube to the nose.

(2) Listen to the sound of air passing through water. Place the stethoscope on the patient's stomach area and quickly inject 10 ml of air into the stomach through the gastric tube until you hear the sound of air passing through water.

(3) The third step is to place the end of the gastric tube in a treatment bowl filled with water without any bubbles escaping.

5. After confirming that the gastric tube is in the stomach, wipe the secretions from the corners of the mouth with gauze, remove the curved tray, take off the gloves, and fix the gastric tube to the cheek with tape. Fold the end of the gastric tube back, wrap it with gauze, remove the treatment towel, and fix it next to the pillow or on the patient's collar with a pin.

6. Assist the patient to assume a comfortable lying position and ask the patient about his/her feelings. Arrange patients and their belongings.

7. If gastric lavage is required, place the funnel below the stomach, squeeze the rubber ball, drain out the stomach contents, and prepare 5000ml of gastric lavage solution. Pour 300-500ml of gastric lavage fluid into the funnel. When there is still a small amount of gastric lavage fluid left in the funnel, quickly lower the funnel to a position below the stomach and invert it in a bucket of water to use the siphon effect to discharge the stomach contents and gastric lavage fluid. Repeat the irrigation until the washing fluid is clear and odorless. After gastric lavage is completed, fold the gastric tube back and remove it quickly to prevent accidental aspiration of liquid.