Sterile water to flush feeding tubes?

Nurses Medications

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Why do we use sterile water to flush feeding tubes such as the j-tube? What happens if we use normal saline instead? I understand that sterile water is hypotonic and fluid will shift into the cells. NS is isotonic. On another note, I learned to flush NG tubes with NS. Why is there a difference in flush solutions if we are still instilling both into the GI tract?

Sterile is not needed. The GI Tract is not a sterile environment, and that's an expensive flush.

2 Votes

Here's a well-written article on the subject.

https://med.virginia.edu/ginutrition/wp-content/uploads/sites/199/2014/06/Parrish-October-16-2.pdf

2 Votes

Please do not use sterile water to flush the N-G tube, as it has a pH of 4.5 and could cause metabolic acidosis.

3 Votes

At one facility I was at, the tap water had been contaminated at one point, so sterile water had been implemented there.

1 Votes
Specializes in retired LTC.
~PedsRN~ said:

Would you want to drink saline?

This is an older post, but since it was reopened, it got me thinking.

I have cardiac issues, so I omit free-pouring table salt and foods ordinarily high in salt. (But I have to salt eggs; each, if you don't salt eggs?)

I never thought about how much saline (50cc before & after) would be in the flush. Yeah, I know. I could prob Google how many micro/nano/mini-grams might be in the 50cc. How much saline content would be too much to cause an issue with sodium retention?

For the record, I only remember tap water in all the LTC/NHs I worked. This is for GT feedings.

But I remember sterile saline when irrigation or instillation was needed, mainly for GI suction (esp with GI bleeding). I'm guessing the reason may be that sterile isotonic saline was a known iso-flush and would be clean, whereas water would be hypo-, and if tap water, un-sterile.

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