Table 1.
Patient demographics and history of obstructed 16 Fr Salem Sump tubes
| NGT no. | Age/gender | Diagnosis | Tube typea | Gastric acid suppression | Feeding formula | Infusion days prior to obstruction | Daily meds through NGT: total/crushed | Clot dissolvent attempts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group 1: Medication obstructions | ||||||||
| 2b | 77/F | CHF | S | H2RA (NGT) | Osmolite | 9 | 10/8 | 1 |
| 3 | 75/F | Parotid cancer | S | No | None | NA | 7/7 | 2 |
| 4 | 77/M | Ischemic stroke | S | No | Osmolite | 1 | 5/5 | 2 |
| 7b | 83/F | Pneumonia | S | H2RA (NGT) | Osmolite | 9 | 2/2 | 0 |
| 8 | 27/F | Pneumonia | P | H2RA (NGT) | Osmolite | 7 | 6/5 | 0 |
| 11 | 54/M | Pneumonia | P | No | Osmolite | 5 | 5/5 | 2 |
| 12 | 39/M | Pneumonia | S | H2RA (NGT) | Promote | 15 | 6/4 | 0 |
| 16 | 70/F | Lung cancer | S | PPI (IV) | Nepro | 7 | 3/2 | 1 |
| Group 2: Precipitated formula obstructions | ||||||||
| 1 | 45/M | Pneumonia | P | No | Osmolite | 4 | 2/1 | 0 |
| 5 | 67/M | Pneumonia | S | No | Promote | 14 | 8/6 | 0 |
| 10 | 53/M | Sepsis | S | H2RA (NGT) | Osmolite | 2 | 2/2 | 1 |
| 13 | 60/M | Pneumonia | P | H2RA (NGT) | Nepro | 6 | 2/2 | 0 |
| 14 | 65/M | CHF | P | H2RA (IV) | Nepro | 2 | 2/1 | 1 |
| 15 | 56/M | Cholangitis | P | H2RA (IV) | Nepro | 7 | 6/6 | 1 |
| 17 | 52/F | Peripheral arterial disease | S | H2RA (NGT) | Nepro | 1 | 4/2 | 0 |
| Group 3: No intraluminal obstruction | ||||||||
| 6 | 55/F | Encephalopathy | S | H2RA (NGT) | Osmolite | 6 | 6/4 | 0 |
| 9 | 33/M | Alcohol withdrawal | S | H2RA (NGT) | Osmolite | 4 | 4/3 | 1 |
a
P indicates polyvinyl chloride Salem Sump tube; S, silicone Salem Sump tube.
b
Cases 2 and 7 apparently developed tube obstruction due to pectin (banana flakes).
CHF indicates congestive heart failure; H2RA, histamine-2 receptor antagonist; IV, intravenous; NGT, nasogastric tube; PPI, proton pump inhibitor.