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Insertion of a nasogastric drainage tube

For some patients it may be appropriate to insert a nasogastric drainage tube in order to decompress the stomach (following surgery or to conservatively treat a bowel obstruction and associated nausea and vomiting). This avoids any unnecessary trauma from the retching associated with vomiting and allows more effective monitoring of fluid output.
Due to the invasive nature of this procedure, it is not often advocated for patients at the end of life. However, it remains a treatment option for those experiencing vomiting due to a bowel obstruction for which antiemetics are unsuccessful (NHS Scotland [106], Walsh et al. [160]). Details of how to insert a drainage nasogastric tube can be found in Chapter c06: Elimination.
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