All flashcards
Flashcard 1: What is the preferred patient position during enteral feeding to reduce aspiration risk?
Answer: High Fowler position (head of bed 30–45∘ or higher). Elevating the head reduces gastroesophageal reflux and gravity-assisted aspiration of gastric contents into the airway.
Flashcard 2: Identify the patient finding that indicates the highest aspiration risk during enteral feeding.
Answer: Decreased level of consciousness or absent gag/cough reflex. Impaired consciousness or reflexes compromise airway protection, heightening the chance of formula entering the lungs during feeding.
Flashcard 3: What is the priority nursing goal when initiating or maintaining enteral tube feedings?
Answer: Prevent aspiration while ensuring adequate nutrition and hydration. Aspiration is the primary complication of enteral feeding, necessitating prevention to safely deliver essential nutrients and fluids.
Flashcard 4: Which medication form should be avoided for enteral tube administration to reduce clogging and dosing errors?
Answer: Sustained-release or enteric-coated tablets. These forms are not designed for crushing, leading to potential clogs or altered drug release that affects efficacy and safety.
Flashcard 5: Which complication increases aspiration risk by delaying gastric emptying in tube-fed patients?
Answer: Gastroparesis or gastric outlet obstruction. Delayed emptying causes gastric retention, increasing reflux and aspiration risk during ongoing enteral nutrition.
Flashcard 6: What oral care intervention reduces aspiration pneumonia risk in patients receiving tube feedings?
Answer: Regular oral hygiene and suctioning of oral secretions as needed. Oral care removes secretions and bacteria, decreasing the likelihood of aspirating contaminated material into the lungs.
Flashcard 7: Which assessment finding suggests tube feeding intolerance that can increase aspiration risk?
Answer: Abdominal distention, nausea/vomiting, or regurgitation. These signs indicate gastric overload or delayed emptying, heightening the risk of reflux and subsequent aspiration.
Flashcard 8: Identify the best practice to reduce aspiration when giving medications via feeding tube.
Answer: Give each medication separately with water flushes between meds. Administering separately with flushes prevents drug interactions and tube clogs, minimizing risks of regurgitation and aspiration.
Flashcard 9: What is the standard flushing practice to help prevent tube occlusion during enteral feeding?
Answer: Flush with water before and after meds and at ordered intervals. Regular flushing maintains tube patency by clearing residue, reducing occlusion risks that could lead to feeding interruptions.
Flashcard 10: What is the recommended action before administering medications through an enteral feeding tube?
Answer: Pause feeding and flush tube with water per protocol. Pausing and flushing clears the tube, preventing interactions between formula and medications that could cause clogs or aspiration.
Flashcard 11: What is the safest type of enteral administration for a high aspiration-risk patient: bolus or continuous?
Answer: Continuous feeding via pump. Continuous infusion at a slow rate minimizes gastric distention and reflux, lowering aspiration risk versus rapid bolus delivery.
Flashcard 12: Which feeding route is associated with lower aspiration risk: gastric or post-pyloric (duodenal/jejunal)?
Answer: Post-pyloric (duodenal/jejunal) feeding. Post-pyloric placement bypasses the stomach, reducing gastric reflux and subsequent aspiration compared to gastric routes.
Flashcard 13: What is the primary reason for keeping the feeding bag and tubing changes per policy (often every 24 hours)?
Answer: Reduce bacterial contamination and infection risk. Routine changes limit microbial growth in residual formula, preventing infections that could complicate enteral nutrition.
Flashcard 14: What respiratory assessment change is an early indicator of aspiration in a tube-fed patient?
Answer: New crackles, wheezing, or decreased oxygen saturation. These changes reflect fluid or inflammation in the lungs from aspirated feeding formula, prompting early intervention.
Flashcard 15: What clinical sign most strongly suggests aspiration during an enteral feeding?
Answer: Coughing or choking with new respiratory distress. These symptoms indicate possible airway irritation from aspirated material, signaling an acute aspiration event.
Flashcard 16: Identify the best bedside practice to reduce aspiration before starting a feeding in a stable patient.
Answer: Verify tube length/marking and assess for respiratory distress. Checking external markers and respiratory status helps detect tube migration, preventing feeding into displaced tubes.
Flashcard 17: Which method is most reliable for confirming initial placement of a newly inserted feeding tube?
Answer: Radiographic confirmation (x-ray). X-ray visualization confirms tube tip location in the gastrointestinal tract, ruling out misplacement in the respiratory system.
Flashcard 18: What should you do with the head of bed after an intermittent (bolus) tube feeding to reduce aspiration?
Answer: Keep head of bed elevated for at least 30–60 minutes. Maintaining elevation post-feeding allows time for gastric emptying, decreasing the risk of reflux and aspiration.
Flashcard 19: What is the minimum head-of-bed elevation recommended during tube feeding to reduce aspiration?
Answer: Head of bed at least 30∘. This elevation minimizes reflux by using gravity to keep gastric contents in the stomach during feeding.
Flashcard 20: Which nursing action reduces aspiration risk when turning or providing hygiene to a tube-fed patient?
Answer: Maintain head-of-bed elevation during care when possible. Keeping the head elevated during procedures prevents reflux by maintaining gravitational barriers against aspiration.