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Nasogastric tubes are commonly used in pediatrics, especially for patients undergoing abdominal surgery. A major fear associated with their use, however, is aspiration of saliva or gastric juice, causing pneumonitis. An Israeli team investigated this concern by studying 11 children (mean age, 2.6 years) without gastroesophageal reflux who underwent abdominal surgery. A nasogastric tube was inserted at the time of surgery and left in place for 48 to 72 hours, at which time 99m Tc-pertechnetate (which has an affinity for salivary glands and gastric mucosa) was injected intravenously. Four to six hours later, scintigraphy did not detect any radioactive material in the lungs.
Thus, it does not appear that nasogastric tubes cause aspiration of ga…