The nurse instructs the patient to self-administer nasointestinal tube feedings at home. Which is the best instruction to include in patient teaching about aspirating the tube?

Question

a. Withhold tube feedings if unable to obtain aspirate.
b. Check tube placement by instilling air into the tube.
c. Administer the tube feedings at 7.22° C to 10° C (45° F to 50° F).
d. Report aspirate with a pH less than 6.0 to the provider.

Answer 1

D
The nurse instructs the patient to report a pH less than 6.0 of the intestinal aspirate because this fluid should be alkaline and have a pH greater than 6.0 from exposure to intestinal fluid and bile. If a patient who is able to competently handle administering a nasointestinal feeding at home as-pirates and obtains no fluid, the nurse assumes that the infusion is operating without difficulty because no aspirate is an expected finding. The nurse avoids instructing the patient to instill air to verify tube placement; however, he or she instructs the patient to instill 30 mL of air before aspirating gastric fluid to displace the fluid and facilitate aspiration. Tube feeding formula should be at room temperature to avoid abdominal cramping.