Description

This How to module provides nurses with information on how to insert a nasogastric tube and check gastric position at the bedside. A nasogastric tube (NG tube) can be used to aspirate stomach contents or to administer feed, medication or fluid into the stomach. A blind technique is used to insert the NG tube through the nostril, along the nasopharynx, through the oesophagus and into the stomach. It is important for nurses to be able to recognise problems that may arise when inserting a NG tube blindly, and to know what actions to take if it is suspected that the distal tip of the NG tube is not sitting in the stomach, or they are unable to identify its location. Misplacement and subsequent use of a NG tube to administer feed, medication or fluid is a ‘never event’ (NHS England Patient Safety Domain 2015). A ‘never event’ is an event that must not happen.