HESI Registered Nurse EXIT Practice Exam

If the pH of an aspirate from a nasogastric tube is 10, what should the nurse do?

1. Hold the tube feeding and notify the provider

2. Administer the tube feeding as scheduled

3. Irrigate the tube with diet cola soda

4. Apply intermittent suction to the feeding tube

The correct answer is: Hold the tube feeding and notify the provider

When the pH of an aspirate from a nasogastric tube is 10, this indicates that the contents are likely not gastric in nature, as gastric secretions typically have a pH range of about 1.5 to 3.5. A pH value of 10 is indicative of either tube feeding contents or possible respiratory secretions, which should raise concern for the nurse regarding incorrect placement of the tube or aspiration risk. In this situation, holding the tube feeding and notifying the provider is the appropriate course of action. This allows for further evaluation and potential repositioning of the tube to ensure it is placed correctly in the stomach rather than the lungs or another location. Ensuring the correct placement of the nasogastric tube is critical for patient safety, as incorrect placement can lead to serious complications such as aspiration pneumonia. Other actions, such as administering tube feeding as scheduled, would pose significant risk to the patient based on the abnormal pH finding, as it may lead to complications if the tube is not in the correct position in the stomach. The other choices—irrigating the tube with diet cola or applying intermittent suction—do not address the underlying issue of possible misplacement and could exacerbate the situation by introducing risks