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Updated: Aug 14, 2026
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Ultrasonography-Guided Nasogastric Tube Placement and Verification: A Standardized Nursing Protocol
Published on: April 7, 2026
Tube feeding: complications among the elderly
Journal of Gerontological Nursing
|June 1, 1993
Summary
Elderly patients receiving nasogastric tube feeding face risks like aspiration and agitation. Restraints worsen outcomes, highlighting the need for improved nursing practices in nutritional support.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Clinical Nutrition
- Nursing Science
Background:
- Elderly individuals on nasogastric (NG) feeding are susceptible to complications such as aspiration, tube clogging, agitation, and diarrhea.
- Agitation in elderly patients receiving tube feeding can lead to self-extubation, often resulting in the application of physical or chemical restraints.
- The use of restraints in immobilized elderly patients receiving nutritional support can introduce additional health risks and complications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the risks and complications associated with nasogastric nutritional support in the elderly.
- To evaluate the implications of agitation and restraint use in this patient population.
- To emphasize the critical role of nursing in ensuring safe and effective nutritional support and the need for research to refine current practices.
Main Methods:
- Literature review on complications of nasogastric feeding in the elderly.
- Analysis of the impact of agitation and restraint use on patient outcomes.
- Discussion on the role of nursing research in improving nutritional support protocols.
Main Results:
- Common complications include aspiration, clogging, agitation, and diarrhea.
- Agitation can lead to self-extubation and necessitates restraint, which poses further risks.
- Immobilization via restraint is detrimental to the nutritional support of the elderly.
Conclusions:
- Nasogastric feeding in the elderly carries significant risks that require careful management.
- Restraint use is contraindicated and can exacerbate patient conditions.
- Nursing research is essential to identify and address practice weaknesses, leading to improved nutritional support for elderly patients.
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