Page 2420 - Saunders Comprehensive Review For NCLEX-RN

removal of the tube and tungsten.
b. Position the client on the right side to
facilitate passage of the weighted bag
in the tube through the pylorus of the
stomach and into the small intestine.
c. Assess the abdomen during the
procedure by monitoring drainage
from the tube and the abdominal girth.
d. Do not secure the tube to the face with
tape until it has reached final
placement (may take several hours) in
the intestines.
e. If the tube becomes blocked, notify the
PHCP.
f. To remove the tube, the tungsten is
removed from the balloon portion of
the tube with a syringe; the tube is
removed gradually (6 inches [15 cm]
every hour) as prescribed by the
PHCP.
J. Esophageal and gastric tubes
1. Description
a. May be used to apply pressure against
bleeding esophageal veins to control
the bleeding when other interventions
are not effective or they are
contraindicated.
b. Not used if the client has ulceration or
necrosis of the esophagus or has had
previous esophageal surgery because
of the risk of rupture.
2. Sengstaken-Blakemore tube and Minnesota tube (see
Fig. 69-8)
a. The Sengstaken-Blakemore tube, used
only occasionally, is a triple-lumen
gastric tube with an inflatable
esophageal balloon (compresses
esophageal varices), an inflatable
gastric balloon (applies pressure at the
cardioesophageal junction), and a
gastric aspiration lumen. A nasogastric
tube also is inserted in the opposite
naris to collect secretions that
accumulate above the esophageal
balloon.
b. More commonly used is the Minnesota
tube, which is a modified Sengstaken-
Blakemore tube with an additional

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