Korean J Med.  2010 Jan;78(1):87-94.

Association between nasogastric tube insertion and aspiration pneumonia in drug intoxication

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Emergency Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Korea.
  • 2Department of Internal Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Korea. daesung3@hanmail.net
  • 3Department of Internal Medicine, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The clinical usefulness of nasogastric tube insertion in poisoning patients is controversial. This study compared the incidence of aspiration pneumonia between patients with or without nasogastric tubes.
METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed the clinical reports of poisoning patients seen from January 2006 to December 2007. We classified the patients into groups with and without nasogastric tube insertion and evaluated the incidence and risk factors of aspiration pneumonia.
RESULTS
Ultimately, 63 patients were included. The incidence of aspiration pneumonia was higher in patients with nasogastric tube insertion than in patients without nasogastric tube insertion (conscious patients: 58.8% vs. 11.8%, p=0.010; unconscious patients: 72.2% vs. 27.3%, p=0.027). Nasogastric tube insertion was a significant risk factor for developing aspiration pneumonia (odds ratio 3.54; 95% confidence interval 1.74~12.34).
CONCLUSIONS
Nasogastric tube insertion did not prevent aspiration pneumonia, but was a risk factor. The results have implications in the development of a hypothesis about why a nasogastric tube increases the risk of aspiration pneumonia. This study has important limitations stemming mostly from other compounding factors and its retrospective design.

Keyword

Activated charcoal; Aspiration pneumonia; Nasogastric tube

MeSH Terms

Charcoal
Humans
Incidence
Pneumonia, Aspiration
Retrospective Studies
Risk Factors
Unconscious (Psychology)
Charcoal
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