Does NPO pertain to nothing swallowed or nothing in the stomach?

[fatrabbit]

I know that NPO means nothing by mouth. However, for one of my assignments there's a stroke patient who can't swallow; an NG tube was ordered for a bolus feed. Does this mean that she is NPO?

[BittyBabyGrower, MSN, RN]

No, they are being fed. NPO means you can't ingest anything by any route.

[Sun0408, ASN, RN]

She can't swallow per your info. So no she can't swallow anything by mouth. The tube is for nutrition and most likely meds as well but you will have to check the orders.

[Karou]

Usually the physician will specify this in the NPO order. Sometimes NPO means nothing by mouth, but the patient will be reviewing meds/nutrition via NGT/G-tube. These patients (like yours) have dysphagia and are NPO to protect themselves from aspiration. They still need medication/nutrition but cannot safely swallow. Their medication will be ordered specific to route (NGT/G-tube) and nutritional formula will have a specific type ordered and rate, along with route.

These patients might also be required to have no gastric contents prior to certain tests, procedures, or surgery. They may also have a gastric issue that requires nothing in their stomach for a while (like a vowel obstruction). Hopefully if the physician writes a NPO order for situations like this, they are very specific that they want no gastric input at all.

When in doubt, ask!