Podcast 542: Nasogastric Tubes

<p><strong>Author: Don Stader, MD</strong></p> <p><strong>Educational Pearls:</strong></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Nasogastric tubes (NGT) are very uncomfortable for all those involved but some simple tricks and tips may help:</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Topical lidocaine can be inserted into the nasal passage for local analgesia</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Afrin may help shrink the mucosal tissue of the nasal turbinates as well</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Molding the tube with cold/ice water can help - putting it in an ice bath with an endotracheal tube stylet will allow you to mold the tip to your preference</span></li> </ul> <p><strong>References</strong></p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Lor YC, Shih PC, Chen HH, et al. The application of lidocaine to alleviate the discomfort of nasogastric tube insertion: A systematic review and meta-analysis.</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Medicine (Baltimore)</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. 2018;97(5):e9746. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000009746</span></span></p> <p><span style= "font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">https://www.acepnow.com/article/making-ng-tube-placement-less-horrendous/</span></p> <p><span style= "font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">https://www.aliem.com/trick-of-trade-making-ng-and-np-painless/</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Summarized and edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD</span></em></span></p> <p><br /> <br /></p>