NG med administration

[athena2005]

Do you give NGT meds individually or do you administer all at one time? If you administer individually, please explain why? Sandy

[CathyLew]

I always administered them together. (as long as the meds are compatable)

I also (unless contraindicated) liked to flush the ng with cola after the meds. (unless of course, they could not have it) even if they could not have carbonated cola, giving flat cola helped keep the tube clear.

[MoopleRN]

I give them individually to avoid precipitates. Never heard of flushing with cola and I'm not so sure that sounds like a good idea. I wouldn't want to leave a sugary residue in the tube.

[miko014]

For practicality they are usually given together if it is safe to do so. In nursing school we were taught to do each individually so that if something happened and they only got part of the meds, you would know what they got instead of being left with a bunch of "mystery powder" and having no idea.

I have used soda on NG and G tubes, but only when they are clogged. After using the soda, we flush with water. Some people say that clear soda won't work, but I've only had one occasion where I had to move to acutal cola to shift the blockage.