A nurse is providing care for a patient in a long-term care facility who is receiving enteral feedings via a nasogastric (NG) tube.
What action should the nurse take before administering the tube feeding?
Discard any residual gastric contents.
Position the patient in a low Fowler’s position.
Test the pH of the gastric aspirate.
Warm the feeding solution to body temperature.
The Correct Answer is C
Choice A rationale
Discarding any residual gastric contents before administering the tube feeding is not necessary and could lead to unnecessary loss of nutrients and electrolytes.
Choice B rationale
Positioning the patient in a low Fowler’s position is not the optimal position for administering a tube feeding. The patient should be in an upright position to reduce the risk of aspiration.
Choice C rationale
Testing the pH of the gastric aspirate is an important step before administering a tube feeding. This helps to verify that the feeding tube is in the stomach and not in the lungs.
Choice D rationale
Warming the feeding solution to body temperature is not necessary and could potentially lead to bacterial growth in the feeding solution.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A rationale
While gastric acid can cause dyspepsia, measuring gastric residual is not primarily done to remove gastric acid.
Choice B rationale
Measuring gastric residual is primarily done to identify delayed gastric emptying. This is important because delayed gastric emptying can lead to complications such as aspiration pneumonia.
Choice C rationale
Gastric residual does not directly determine the patient’s electrolyte balance.
Choice D rationale
While confirming the placement of the NG tube is important, it is not the primary purpose of measuring gastric residual.
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
If the nurse suspects the catheter is not in the urethra, they should leave the catheter in the vagina as a landmark for insertion of a new, sterile catheter.
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