Nursing Acceleration Challenge Exam (NACE) PN-RN Practice Test

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What is a major risk for a patient with a nonfunctioning nasogastric tube for eight hours?

Gastric rupture.
Aspiration.
Infection.
Hypervolemia.

The correct answer is: Aspiration.

A nonfunctioning nasogastric tube poses a significant risk of aspiration for the patient. When the tube is not functioning, it cannot effectively decompress the stomach. This may lead to an accumulation of gastric contents, which increases the risk of these contents being regurgitated. If these gastric contents are inhaled into the lungs, aspiration can occur, resulting in serious complications such as aspiration pneumonia. The accumulation of contents can also contribute to pressure within the stomach, potentially resulting in nausea or vomiting. If a patient vomits, there is a higher likelihood that the vomitus can be aspirated if the patient is in a supine position or unable to protect their airway. Therefore, continuous monitoring and timely intervention for patients with nonfunctioning nasogastric tubes are critical to prevent aspiration and its associated risks. While gastric rupture and infection could be concerns in certain contexts, aspiration remains the most immediate and critical risk in this scenario. Hypervolemia is not typically associated with a nonfunctioning nasogastric tube since the primary concern is the ineffective evacuation of gastric contents rather than fluid overload.