A patient is mechanically ventilated and is receiving enteral nutrition via a nasogastric tube.Which intervention should be included the patient's plan of care to prevent clogging of the feeding tube?
A) Flush the tube with gastric juice every 8 hours.
B) Obtain an order for a prokinetic agent to stimulate gastric emptying.
C) Irrigate the tube with water before and after administration of any medication.
D) Add crushed medications to the enteral feeding formula.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To prevent tube occlusion,irrigate tube with water before and after administering any medication and never add any medication to the formula unless the two are known to be compatible.Gastric juice is never used to flush a tube it can cause precipitation of the formula.A prokinetic agent will help with gastric retention but not tube occlusion.

A Patient Is Mechanically Ventilated and Is Receiving Enteral Nutrition