How do you check gastric residual in nasogastric tube?

Checking Gastric Residual

1. Clamp the feeding tube connector. Leave clamped if residual is returned during feedings.

2. Turn off the enteral pump.

3. Attach a 60-mL syringe to the feeding tube connector.

4. Aspirate the gastric contents for 15-30 seconds

5. If no gastric contents are aspirated, return the plunger in the syringe and instill 30 mL of air while stabilizing the tube. Wait 30 seconds and aspirate.

6. Discard the gastric contents into a specimen container.

7. Note the amount, color and consistency of the aspirate.

8. If more than 250 mL of residual is obtained or the patient does not tolerate reinsertion of the instilled air bolus, it is critical that the physician be notified. The nasogastric tube may need to be repositioned or replaced.

9. Flush feeding tube by injecting 5 to 10mL using the prefilled syringe of water after checking the amount of the gastric residual.