How to check nasogastric tube placement
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In Making Synapses you practice it on the patient.
Check placement before every feed or medicine.
Step by step
Check the mark
The external length should match the record. [1]
Look in the mouth
Coiled tube? [1]
Aspirate
pH 5.5 or less suggests the stomach (per policy). [1]
X-ray
Gold standard after first placement. [1]
Patient
Cough, breathlessness or low saturation: stop. [1]
Record
Method and result. [1]
Common errors
- Air whoosh test alone.
- Not checking the mark.
- Feeding with doubt.
Practice it in Making Synapses
In Making Synapses you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
Sources
- Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) (CC BY 4.0)
- OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference)
Steps adapted from Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts and steps also follow OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference). Making Synapses is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.