Evaluation of nasogastric tube fixation methods: adhesion, displacement and skin integrity.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate three methods of nasogastric tube fixation in terms of adhesion, displacement and skin integrity. METHOD: ex vivo study, with a sample of 30 experimental noses (10 for each type of fixation), developed with porcine skin, based on the average measurements of the human nose, in which 14-gauge polyvinyl chloride probes were inserted and 2 methods of fixation with adhesive tape (Fixation A and B) and one with an industrial device (Fixation C) were used. Each group was exposed to traction of 50, 100 and 500g sequentially over 12 and 24 hours, testing adhesion capacity, probe displacement and skin integrity. The Chi-square test of independence was calculated for nominal variables and Student's t-tests and analysis of variance (p< 0.05) for rational variables. RESULTS: fixation B showed lower adhesion capacity (p <0.001) when compared to the other two fixations. A mean displacement of 52.17 mm was observed in the probes fixed by methods A and B and a greater occurrence of lesions associated with fixations A and C (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: the results show complications related to the fixations lack of adhesion, displacement of the probe and skin lesions, drawing attention to the complexity of the procedure.