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Pediatric Nasogastric Tube Placement And Verification: Best Practice Recommendations From The Novel Project., Sharon Y. Irving, Gina Rempel, Beth Lyman, Wednesday Marie A Sevilla, Ladonna Northington, Peggi Guenter, American Society For Parenteral And Enteral Nutrition

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The placement of a nasogastric tube (NGT) in a pediatric patient is a common practice that is generally perceived as a benign bedside procedure. There is potential risk for NGT misplacement with each insertion. A misplaced NGT compromises patient safety, increasing the risk for serious and even fatal complications. There is no standardized method for verification of the initial NGT placement or reverification assessment of NGT location prior to use. Measurement of the acidity or pH of the gastric aspirate is the most frequently used evidence-based method to verify NGT placement. The radiograph, when properly obtained and interpreted, is considered …