Question

Why would the NGT be to LCWS & not intermittent?

A 52 year old male patient presents to the Emergency Department with signs of dehydration. The symptoms are related to poor intake of fluids by mouth and vomiting. His abdomen is distended. He has poor skin turgor and dry mucous membranes. He has not urinated since yesterday. Past medical history: notable for a cholecystectomy, appendectomy, inguinal hernia repair all over 5 years ago Recent medical history: Complaining of abdominal pain and vomiting which began 1-2 days ago. He has also noted some “swelling” in his abdomen and he feels bloated. He has had a poor appetite, admits to not eating or drinking much for the past few days because of an “upset stomach”. He had a bowel movement about 3 days ago which contained some mucous and blood. The AXR reveals that Mr. F has a SBO and he will be having exploratory surgery in the am.

Answer 1

Answer; The NGT be to LCWS and not intermittent because in this case the patient is having bowel obstruction, swelling in the abdomen. The patient is having problem with the motion of intestine. The suction is low continous because there are chances that the tube's opening may get friction towards the stomach wall. The high suction will increase the pressure and ther is risk of injury to the tissue.