Just wanted to get everyones input about a situation that happened at work today. A patient of mine had orders to have an NGT placed after vomiting 550 mL of gastric content during my shift. After preparing all the equipment that I needed to insert the NGT, I made sure to mentally go over the procedure in my head. I went ahead and proceeded to insert the NGT and the patient was able to tolerate the procedure. Read the MD orders and noted to set NGT to low continuous suction. Suction was started and I was initially able to suction out greater than 600 mL of gastric content with a couple chunks of what appeared to be bile. As the night went on, the patient looked more comfortable and suction was still functioning without any problems. Fast forward to 0700, everyone was getting ready for shift change and report when we see one of the surgeons storming out of the patient's room demanding to talk to the nurse who had inserted the NGT. Apparently the surgeon and his surgical team found that the suction was connected to the blue pigtail rather than the clear tube. The surgeon went on about how this was wrong and that pictures were taken for proof. I went ahead and proceeded to the patients to see if the patient was okay, which fortunately he was. After the surgical team left the room, I asked the patient if anyone came in to fix his NGT overnight. The patient denied and stated that he could not recall anyone else coming in to look at the NGT. By then I started doubting myself and thinking whether I could have really connected the suction to the wrong tube. So up until now, I have been thinking what could have gone wrong? I am almost certain that I connected the suction to the proper tube and not the blue pigtail.
If suction was connected to the blue pigtail from the beginning when the NGT was first placed, would it still have been possible to have an initial output of 600 mL of gastric content immediately following insertion?
I would assume that from looking at the gastric content that was suctioned during the insertion that it would have clogged the blue pigtail tube right away, right?
Although the patient denied anyone else handling the tube overnight, could it possible that the portable x-ray technician that took the CXR and KUB to confirm placement of the tube might of mistakenly connected suction to the wrong tube after obtaining films?
My mind is racing and cannot stop thinking what could have possibly gone wrong. Need your guys' input, please!
