NG Tube Leaking, Tips?

[CharmedJ7]

Hi,

I'm a new grad and I've been working on a surgical floor for about 3 months. I've noticed that it's a reasonably common problem to have leaking from NGT from the vent, and I'm not really sure what to do about it. Flushing, changing connector pieces, etc don't seem to do much good, does anyone have any ideas?

[MunoRN, RN]

When used correctly, a Salem sump tube will potentially leak out the vent port. In theory, a sump vent lumen will never occlude, in which case you can use continuous suction which will keep the vent lumen open, but in reality the vent lumen can occlude which can cause problems if you are using continuous suction. This is why it's best practice to use intermittent suction even with a Salem sump tube, which will mean there will be reflux into the sump lumen while the suction is off.