Final answer:
To ensure correct NG tube placement prior to administering enteral feeding, aspirated fluid with a pH value greater than 6.5 signifies potential misplacement in the respiratory or intestinal tract. Institutional protocols often require contacting the provider for further instruction or verification through radiography in such instances.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a nurse is aspirating a client's secretions from an NG (nasogastric) tube before administering a bolus enteral feeding, it is important to assess whether the tube is in the correct position. The pH value of the aspirated gastric contents can provide important information. Gastric secretions typically have a low pH value (1.5 to 3.5), whereas respiratory secretions tend to be more alkaline.
A pH value greater than 6.5
may indicate that the tube is not in the stomach but in the respiratory tract or the intestines. Therefore, if aspirated fluid has a pH of greater than 6.5, it suggests possible incorrect NG tube placement. In this case, option A: is misleading because the pH value alone does not always warrant a radiographic confirmation unless there are other signs of incorrect placement, and option C: is correct, as it correctly identifies the issues with pH levels indicating secretions might not be gastric.
However, it's crucial to combine pH testing with other methods of tube placement confirmation, such as radiographic verification (option B), particularly before a feeding when the risk of misplacement can have serious consequences. The nurse should follow institutional protocols regarding verifying NG tube placement. It is usually advisable to contact the provider for further instructions or to verify tube placement with radiography when uncertainty exists about the location of the feeding tube.