RT Book, Section
A1 Gomella, Tricia Lacy
A1 Cunningham, M. Douglas
A1 Eyal, Fabien G.
A1 Tuttle, Deborah J.
SR Print(0)
ID 1107527736
T1 Gastric Aspirate (Residuals)
T2 Neonatology: Management, Procedures, On-Call Problems, Diseases, and Drugs, 7e
YR 2013
FD 2013
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9780071768016
LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1107527736
RD 2024/04/20
AB The  nurse  alerts  you  that  a  gastric  aspirate  has  been  obtained  in  an  infant.  Gastric  aspiration  before  feeding  is  a  procedure  by  which  the  stomach  is  aspirated  with  an  oral  or  nasogastric  tube.  The  procedure  is  usually  performed  before  each  feeding  to  determine  whether  the  feedings  are  being  tolerated  and  digested.  The  amount  of  residual  is  measured  and  recorded  (gastric  residual).  Gastric  residuals  indicate  the  rapidity  of  gastric  emptying  and  can  be  an  indicator  of  feeding  intolerance,  infection,  or  other  diseases  such  as  bowel  obstruction/perforation  if  the  gastric  aspirate  volume  or  color  is  abnormal.  Isolated  gastric  aspirates  in  very  low  birthweight  infants  can  reflect  delayed  gut  maturation  and  motility  and  may  not  signify  a  gastrointestinal  (GI)  problem,  especially  if  no  other  warning  signs  exist.