What is a Saratoga Tube?

Salty1 · Apr 8, 2005

Please help! I am a nursing instructor and one of the clients on our floor has a Saratoga tube...I have no idea what this is. I am hoping that you can help me to explain it to my students are direct me to reference so I can learn about it.
Thank you!
Beth

You are probably referring to a Saratoga Sump (Nasogastric Suction). A google as well as a dogpile search was not of much help in finding a definitive description. I believe that a similar named device (Saratoga Drain) may also be utilized as a cardio-thoracic device. Hopefully, some of the GI people on this board will respond with a more detailed answer. Is the tube extending from one of the nares and connected to a suction machine? If so, naso-gastric suction for stomach decompression/drainage.

As an amusing aside, I recall many years ago telephoning Hospital Central Supply requesting a Salem sump as my patient's regular NG tube was functioning poorly - probably adhereing to the stomach mucosa - and the Salem sump would overcome the problem. The Supply Clerk was not familiar with a Salem sump and replied "The onliest thing we has is a Sataroga Sump." I inquired "What?" The clerk responded, "You know, Sataroga - like the State.

My response was "No, Saratoga like the city in upstate New York." A personal trip to Central Supply resulted in finding a bin full of Salem sump tubes.

Good luck with the search.

Nurse Bethie · Apr 11, 2005

The student states that the tube was in the abdomen (like a G tube) but looked like a salem sump tube. Have you ever heard of this before? The students mentioned that the nurses were irrigating through the blue vent tube which was the most confusing part!

Thanks for your help!

StudentUschi · Mar 7, 2011

Hi!

I'm new to the site, and I know this post is a bit old, but I have a little question about this drain system.

I'm still studying to become a nurse, and I was learning about the Saragota tube. I didn't quite understand, so I googled it, came to the conclusion the official term is Saratoga, but still don't know what it's used for.

During the lessons my teacher passed a few draining systems, one of them was a very big tube with a huge trocard. She said they were used in case of pneumothorax. Is this the Saratoga tube?

I'd like to excuse me for my English, I'm a Belgian student.

Thanks for your help!

Greetz, Uschi

EndoRNCA3 · Mar 8, 2011

Please help! I am a nursing instructor and one of the clients on our floor has a Saratoga tube...I have no idea what this is. I am hoping that you can help me to explain it to my students are direct me to reference so I can learn about it.
Thank you!
Beth

I believe that you might have had the name of the tube wrong, since I have never heard of a Saratoga Tube, however there is a Minnesota Tube, which is used to stop esophageal bleeding usually from varices. The device has three balloons that are inflated to a specific mmHg for specified number of hours at a time. Not all the balloons have to be inflated together, either. It is only used as a last resort.

EndoRNCA3

EndoRNCA3 · Mar 8, 2011

Following up to my last post,

Here's a link to an article that talks about a Saratoga Tube. http://resources.metapress.com/pdf-preview.axd?code=k3n3gq429p3w27j4&size=largest

This states it is a surgical drain.

EndoRNCA3

ebear, BSN, RN · Mar 9, 2011

Salty1, thanks for the laugh! I needed that! Those Sataroga sumps will KILL ya! LOL!!