G tube drainage question

[hclnurse]

Hello all,

Question from my personal life. I have been helping my aunt who had emergency surgery in August to correct a bowel obstruction and have run into many complications along the way including a dehisced midline incision, infection, baseball sized blisters and g tube placement that was finally removed last Monday. Since that time the puncture where they removed to tube has been draining large amounts of thick purulent drainage (saturates a ABD Q4-6 hours) dark yellow in color with darker particles sprinkled throughout and strangely has been making a high pitch flatus sound for lack of a better description. You can see drainage push its way out as it makes this bubbling sound and it is almost constant. I have updated her general surgery PA and she does not seen all that concerned. I have worked with many patients within my career where tubes have been removed and yes drainage happens but I have never heard an audible sound nor seen the amounts of drainage coming from her wound. Can someone enlighten me about the situation? Do I need to push a little harder with the PA or wait for the site to (hopefully) seal over?

[SFANURSE2011, MSN, RN]

I work in IR where we occasional remove tubes. These are the instructions I give:

Change dressing as often as needed if bandage becomes soaked. Nothing by mouth for four hours following tube removal.Use food coloring to dye any food before eating. Eat only very lightly after four hours. Limit the amount of liquids until you are certain there is no leakage from the tube site. If food contents (dye) are seen to leak from the wound site, stop eating/drinking; wait one hour; repeat the trial. Only small meals should be eaten for the first 48 hours to allow the stomach to close. Larger meals may stretch the stomach and prevent closure of the wound. The wound may continue to seep for several days. This is normal and should not be concerning unless food/liquid continues to leak. If so, call your doctor. Change the dressing as often as necessary to keep the wound site dry. Once there is no longer seeping, no dressing is needed.

Try a food dye and see if it comes out the wound where the g tube use to be. Also make sure her diet isn't crazy with heavy solid food.