Conditions associated with complications during the use of an NG feeding tube:
(1) advanced age
(2) advanced malignancy affecting the mediastinum
(3) cardiomegaly and/or congestive heart failure
(4) difficult insertion because of patient movement (seizure, resistance, etc)
(5) difficulty in removing the guide wire
(6) difficulty while passing the tube (unexpected resistance, etc)
(7) endotracheal intubation
(8) epidural hematoma
(9) esophageal disease (stricture, tumor, varices, ulcerations, etc)
(10) Guillain-Barre syndrome
(11) meningitis
(12) multiple replacements or need to reinsert
(13) myasthenia gravis
(14) obtundation (impaired level of consciousness)
(15) Parkinson's disease
(16) recent esophagogastric surgery
(17) recent oral or pharyngeal surgery
(18) recent stroke (cerebrovascular accident)
(19) renal failure
(20) severe lung disease
(21) severe malnutrition
(22) superior vena cava syndrome
(23) tracheo-esophageal malformations
(24) tracheostomy
(25) self-attempts at removal
where:
• Some of the items have been modified from the original list.
• Difficulty from patient movement, tracheo-esophageal malformations, recent esophagogastric surgery, attempts at removal and esophageal disease were added.
