Food emptying in biliary drainage bag?????

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Specializes in Telemetry/Med-Surg.

Has anyone ever seen anything but bile matter draining into a drainage bag of a biliary drain? I saw a pt with about 100cc of bilious drainage fill her bag in about 5 minutes after chugging a can of hawaiian punch and guess what it was red. The Docs are scratching their heads and cant figure it out. Now today there is food particles in the bag. I keep telling them this is happening but all they have done is order an occult blood screen on the drainage just in case. Could this be back pressure from the duodenum if the pt. is drinking too fast or due to positioning she also has gastroparesis. If anyone else has seen this before please let me know and also if anything was done about it.

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Specializes in pulm/cardiology pcu, surgical onc.

I've seen it happen when there is a fistula present.

Not specifically GI contents emptying into a bili drain but other drains having drainage originating from places not intended to has usually been a fistula or the tube has slipped from it's original destination.

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Specializes in ER, ICU.

Can't say I've had this happen but for stomach contents to be in the biliary drain there has to be a direct connection between them. Good catch.

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Specializes in LTC, SICU,RNICU.

I have seen this in my unit after someone had surgery. They took the patient back to the OR and did an ex lap. Sure enough it was a fistula.

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Specializes in Hospice, ONC, Tele, Med Surg, Endo/Output.

fistula me then ya hate me. let's call the whole thing off.:eek:

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