The dangers of long-term gastric tube insertion

A gastric tube is a device used to supplement the human body's food. Some people are at high risk of accidental aspiration or accidental swallowing. The food they eat will enter the lungs and cause lung infection. Therefore, some people eat through a gastric tube. However, long-term insertion of a gastric tube has certain hazards. However, many people do not know what its specific hazards are. So what are the hazards of long-term insertion of a gastric tube?

Gastric tube insertion is a technique that clinicians must master. It is a technique that involves injecting liquid food through a gastric tube into patients who cannot eat orally to ensure that the patient takes in enough nutrition, water and medicine.

Note: 1. The intubation action should be gentle and steady, especially when passing through the three narrow parts of the throat and esophagus, to avoid damaging the esophageal mucosa. When operating, the emphasis is on "swallowing" rather than "inserting".

2. If the patient feels nauseous during the intubation process, the procedure should be paused for a moment and the patient should be asked to take a deep breath to distract the patient's attention, relieve tension, and reduce gastric muscle contraction. If choking or breathing difficulties occur, indicating that the tube has mistakenly entered the throat, the tube should be immediately removed and reinserted. If the insertion is not smooth, do not insert it rigidly. Check whether the gastric tube is coiled in the oropharynx. The gastric tube can be pulled out a little and then inserted again.

3. When intubating a comatose patient, the patient's head should be tilted back. When the gastric tube is inserted into the epiglottis about 15 cm, hold up the head with the left hand, bring the lower jaw close to the manubrium of the sternum, increase the curvature of the pharyngeal passage, and allow the end of the tube to slide along the posterior wall until it is inserted to the required length.

Long-term gastric tube examination can easily lead to throat discomfort and dry respiratory tract. These side effects can be ignored and the therapeutic effects far outweigh them.

In clinical practice, what is generally referred to as gastric tube insertion refers to a nasogastric tube, which is inserted from the nasal cavity (either the left or right side) and then extends along the throat and esophagus into the stomach. It is mainly used for temporary symptomatic treatment of giving liquid or semi-liquid diets to people who cannot eat orally. Inserting a gastric tube is generally harmless to the human body. Of course, the time for which the gastric tube is left in place should not be too long. If the tube needs to be kept in place for a long time, the tube needs to be replaced.

When food cannot be taken in, a gastric tube must be inserted. During the insertion process, there is a possibility that the tube may accidentally enter the trachea and may also damage the esophagus and gastric mucosa.