Vomiting while on vent

[ans0014]

I am not a PICU nurse. I avoid anything and everything having to do with vents. Hate them. However, my 7 month old son is on a vent in the PICU following a major operation. We are now on day 3 on the vent. He has severe reflux and usually vomits throughout the day, even on continuous g-tube feeds. My question is, if they are restarting his feeds slowly and he vomits while on the vent, will he aspirate? He is on a cuffed, 3.5 ET tube on SIMV mode.

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

If his ETT cuff is properly inflated he should not aspirate. Are they feeding him via nasogastric tube, or nasojejeunal tube? You can't vomit from your small bowel, and most PICUs feed continuously via NJ to dramatically decrease the risk of aspiration. Having said that, this question really should be addressed to the bedside nurse caring for your son, the respiratory therapist managing his ventilation or his intensivist, because they have all the details at their fingertips.