Gastric Tube Placement in Young Children

Marsha L. Cirgin Ellett, Joseph M.B. Croffie, Mervyn D. Cohen and Susan M. Perkins
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Marsha L. Cirgin Ellett: Indiana University School of Nursing
Joseph M.B. Croffie: Riley Hospital for Children, Indiana University School of Medicine
Mervyn D. Cohen: Riley Hospital for Children, Indiana University School of Medicine
Susan M. Perkins: Indiana University School of Medicine

Clinical Nursing Research, 2005, vol. 14, issue 3, 238-252

Abstract: In this study, the internal position of a nasogastric/orogastric tube was determined in 72 children, prior to an abdominal radiograph, by measuring CO 2 and pH and bilirubin of tube aspirate. Fifteen of the 72 tubes (20.8%) were incorrectly placed on radiograph. Using the suggested adult cutoff of pH 5, pH of aspirate correctly predicted misplacement outside the stomach in 7/28 (25%) of children and correctly predicted correct placement in the stomach in 34 of 40 children (85%). Using the suggested adult cutoff of bilirubin ≥ 5 mg/dL, bilirubin monitoring failed to identify either of two incorrectly placed tubes. In this study, using an algorithm of assuming stomach placement if the pH of aspirate is ≤ 5 and obtaining an abdominal radiograph when either no aspirate is obtained or the pH is >5 would have resulted in 92% accuracy. Alternatively, obtaining an abdominal radiograph would result in nearly 100% accuracy.

Keywords: nasogastric tubes; children; feeding tubes; enteral tubes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2005
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:clnure:v:14:y:2005:i:3:p:238-252

DOI: 10.1177/1054773805275121

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