What action should a nurse take to verify the placement of an NG tube prior to each feeding?

Verifying the placement of a nasogastric (NG) tube is crucial for ensuring the safety of feeding and preventing complications such as aspiration. Testing the pH of gastric contents is considered a reliable method for confirming the accurate placement of an NG tube.

When the contents of the stomach are aspirated and the pH is tested, a pH of 0 to 4 indicates that the tube is likely in the stomach. This is because gastric acid has a low pH due to the presence of hydrochloric acid. If the pH is significantly higher, it raises concerns about whether the tube has been misplaced into the esophagus or further down the gastrointestinal tract, which could lead to feeding into an inappropriate location.

Other methods such as asking the patient to swallow or checking the external length of the tube provide less reliable information related to the correct placement inside the stomach. While gently aspirating the tube can provide some initial information, confirming the acidity of the contents through pH testing is a more definitive and evidence-based approach. Thus, testing the pH of gastric contents should be performed prior to each feeding to ensure the NG tube is in the correct position, promoting patient safety and effective feeding.