Spontaneous Transection of a Retained 16 Year Old Nasogastric Tube

• Main Authors: Tanmoy Sarkar, Debabrata Biswas, Riya Das, Uday Shankar Roy
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Association of Otolaryngologists of India, West Bengal 2021-06-01
• Series: Bengal Journal of Otolaryngology and Head Neck Surgery
• Subjects: Tube, Nasogastric; Complications
• Online Access: https://bjohns.in/journal3/index.php/bjohns/article/view/394

Introduction The insertion of nasogastric (NG) feeding tube or Ryle’s tube is a common procedure for treating patients in different medical or surgical conditions. One of its indications is in patients who can’t eat or swallow due to obstruction in upper digestive tract. Case Report We encountered a 71 year old female patient with stricture in mid to low esophagus, who presented with a retained NG tube in situ for more than 16 years. Post admission, an NCCT scan of neck, thorax and upper abdomen showed about 30cm long retained tube with its lower end in the body of stomach. Upper gastro-intestinal endoscopy was subsequently performed and the retained tube was carefully removed in toto. Discussion Insertion of nasogastric tube is a frequent and well tolerated day to day procedure though it can produce unexpected complications like stricture, perforation or haemorrhage and even spontaneous transection in a few patients with prolonged indwelling Ryle’s tube. Long term placement of nasogastric tube is thus not recommended to avoid complications.