fixing nasogastric tubes in place

[samrakaan]

Hi I am a paeds community nurse and have been having problems recently with getting nasogastric tubes to stay in place the tape we are using is Tegaderm, its a bit like Opsite, but they don't adhere very well and we spend a lot of time doing repeat visits to repass tubes which have come out. Any ideas greatly appreciated. I work in the UK by the way.:)

[atlkidrn]

The original topic was posted a while back, but maybe this will help somebody....

We used to use Tegaderm/Opsite to secure NG tubes. The only benefit to this product is that it's clear, and so perhaps cosmetically more appealing. However, it either sticks too well, abrading newborns' skin when removed, or it comes off too easily.

My hospital currently uses two products. One is called "Tender Grips." This is a beige colored disc that is applied to the cheek; the NG tube is secured by a clear flap that is attached to the beige disc. Tender Grips can be removed easily by applying adhesive remover on the top of the disc, and they also can be used to secure O2 tubing. I will try to get contact info and post it ASAP.

The other product we use is a white tape product called Hypafix. It secures well, and is also easily removed with adhesive remover applied to the surface. It's not as cosmetically unobtrusive as Tender Grips, but is a good solution for older kids who often grab at their tubes and pull them out prematurely.

[jsauce]

What about tincture of benzoin? We use that sometimes to help tegaderm stick (that's what we have at our hospital, also). Whoever said tegaderm doesn't stick if the skin is completely dry is right! It kind of sucks. Tincture of benzoin helps everything stick.