The nurse plans to administer 9:00 AM medications via the nasogastric (NG) route to a client with an NG tube. The nurse contacts the primary health care provider (PHCP) to clarify which prescriptions that are contraindicated using this route? Select all that apply.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Enteric-coated drugs have a barrier coating that dissolves at a slower rate (usually in the small intestine) to protect the stomach from irritant effects. Crushing enteric-coated medications (eg, ibuprofen) disrupts the barrier coating and may cause stomach irritation. In addition, the particles from the coating may clog the NG tube, particularly small-bore NG tubes. Slow-, extended-, or sustained-release drug formulations are designed to dissolve very slowly within a specific time frame. Crushing these medications alters this property and introduces the risk of adverse effects from toxic blood levels due to more rapid drug absorption. Therefore, the nurse should first contact the PHCP for clarification. (Options B and D) Double- and extra-strength drugs such as sulfamethoxazole and acetaminophen may be crushed and administered separately through an NG tube as long as they are not enteric-coated. The nurse should flush the tube with water before and after each drug administration. Educational objective: Crushing an enteric-coated, slow-release, extended-release, or sustained-release drug disrupts its designed time of release and is contraindicated. The nurse should contact the PHCP for an alternate prescription if such a drug is prescribed via NG route.

The Nurse Plans to Administer 9:00 AM Medications Via the Nasogastric