The nurse is caring for a patient who is receiving continuous tube feedings.What must the nurse do to care for this patient?

A) Verify tube position every 4 to 6 hours.
B) Obtain a radiograph every 4 to 12 hours.
C) Instill air into the stomach via the tube and listen for bubbles.
D) Do not worry about tube placement because the tube has already been determined to be in the right place.

After initial radiographic verification that a tube is positioned in the desired site (either the stomach or the small-intestine),the nurse is responsible for ensuring that the tube has remained in the intended position before administering formula or medications through the tube.Therefore,the nurse must verify tube position every 4 to 6 hours and as needed.Because it is not practical to do radiographic checks at this frequency,other methods of determining placement have been investigated.Insufflation of air into the tube while the abdomen is auscultated is not a reliable means of determining the position of the feeding tube tip.It is possible for the tip of a feeding tube to move into a different location (from the stomach to the intestine,or from the intestine into the stomach)without any external evidence that the tube has moved.The risk for aspiration of regurgitated gastric contents into the respiratory tract increases when the tip of the tube accidentally dislocates upward into the esophagus.