NG canisters:Do you empty at change of shift?

RN-PA, RN · May 24, 2004

Our NG cannisters are emptied at the end of every shift. I don't see much difference among emptying a foley cath bag, a drain (jackson-pratt or hemovac) or NG cannister at the end of a shift to record intake and output. We all just wear gloves and wash hands afterwards as we would when dealing with any body fluid.

jax · May 24, 2004

Our naso-gastric tubes are usually on 4th hourly aspirates as well as free drainage, so we're fiddling with them anyway, I change the bag at the end of the shift after doing an aspirate.

If there is a moderate to large amount of drainage, I will also change the bag as the weight of it can pull on the nose, (no matter how well you've got it set up) and I feel safer without that potential for dislodgement.

jax

MelissaRN · May 25, 2004

We have the cannisters that are hooked to the wall. We mark them at the end of each shift and when they are full take out the inner cannister and put a new one in. We have this special gel stuff we put in them to help solidify all the nasty stuff.

IamRN · May 25, 2004

We have the cannisters that are hooked to the wall. We mark them at the end of each shift and when they are full take out the inner cannister and put a new one in. We have this special gel stuff we put in them to help solidify all the nasty stuff.

Same here. Having this system, I don't see the chance of exposure, by emptying them, worth it.

P_RN, ADN, RN · May 25, 2004

Off on a slightly different tangent.....do you use TWO cannisters with continuous suction? We were always told to because it lessened the chance of the NG getting "stuck" to the stomach wall. It went ng to cannister---->tubing up to----> cannister on the wall---->suction gauge. Wall cannister stayed empty.

IamRN · May 25, 2004

Off on a slightly different tangent.....do you use TWO cannisters with continuous suction? We were always told to because it lessened the chance of the NG getting "stuck" to the stomach wall. It went ng to cannister---->tubing up to----> cannister on the wall---->suction gauge. Wall cannister stayed empty.

Had never heard of that set up, but it is an interesting one. Why not just use intermitten suction??? Unless of course that capability is not available???

I have rarely, dare I say never, had an ngt to continuous sucution.

rollingstone · May 25, 2004

Mark on tape at end of each shift. If it's more than 3/4's full I'll empty for the next shift.

unknown99, BSN, RN · May 25, 2004

We have disposable cannisters. We mark, time and date them at the end of our shift.

When they are full, we seal them off and dispose of them in the biohazard can. So much easier than those old glass ones!!!

Kim44 · May 25, 2004

It would never occur to me to NOT empty it. If the fluid is produced on my shift, it's my job to get rid of it.

Trauma Columnist · May 25, 2004

Yuck - ours are all disposable and get dumped every shift - but we don't open them EVER!

Tweety, BSN, RN · May 25, 2004

We have the cannisters that are hooked to the wall. We mark them at the end of each shift and when they are full take out the inner cannister and put a new one in. We have this special gel stuff we put in them to help solidify all the nasty stuff.

We don't use gel but we basically do what you do. Only empty them when they are full. Don't have any articles to support that this is the best practice, just one of those old paradigms.

Don't you love it when the NG is d/c and the drainage just stays there for days. I'll pick up a new patient and in report nothing about an NG, but this half full container is on the wall. Come to find the NG has been d/c three days ago. :)