How much residual tube feeding is normal?
Hello everyone!I am a new student nurse.A patient has a peg tube.The food is being fed at 70 liters per hour.I know I have to check residual Q4hrs and have read about it in my text book, but can someone tell me what it's suppose to look like?Residual is left over "feeding".Do I just keep pulling until I put the needle on the lopez valve?When do I know to stop and fill in the blanks?Thank you so much.
It will look like bile.The stomach contents vary in color.You don't have to pull back a lot to see that the tube is still in the stomach.
Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry.
Specializes in home health and school nursing.
Make sure your clinical instructor is with you when you check residual for the first time.
If you are checking for residual tube feed, you need to pull back on the needle until you feel resistance.If you fill your syringe, empty it into a cup and try to pull more.Continue until you meet resistance.To find out when you are supposed to call the doctor, check your hospital policy.I pulled a patient with a tube feeding from his stomach once.I didn't restart the tube feed.
The residual will be different for everyone.It will be close to the color of the food you are giving.Sometimes it will be red.You need to call the doctor right away if you pull back blood or coffee ground.
Specializes in both here and there.
Residual is anything liquid that comes out, it could be coffee ground, green bile, tube feeding, etc.Anything you pull back is liquid.Depending on what it is, you have to decribe it.
Thank you so much for your replies!I'm really excited to work in this profession.I can't wait to give feedback to other people.!