Physiological Adaptation Q 89
Ryan has undergone a subtotal gastrectomy. The nurse should expect that nasogastric tube drainage will be what color for about 12 to 24 hours after surgery?
A. Bile green
B. Bright red
C. Cloudy white
D. Dark brown
Correct Answer: D. Dark brown
12 to 24 hours after subtotal gastrectomy gastric drainage is normally brown, which indicates digested food. Assess color, amount, and odor of gastric drainage, noting any changes in these parameters or the presence of clots or bright bleeding. Initial drainage is bright red. It becomes dark, then clear or greenish-yellow over the first 2 to 3 days. A change in the color, amount, or odor may indicate a complication such as hemorrhage, intestinal obstruction, or infection.
Option A: Bile green color of gastric drainage is due to the presence of bile and is not expected during the first 12 to 24 hours. Normal color of gastric drainage is light yellow to green in color due to the presence of bile.
Option B: Bloody drainage may be expected in the first 6 to 12 hours after gastric surgery but must be monitored closely. Bright red blood may indicate bleeding from the esophagus, the stomach or swallowed from the lungs
Option C: Cloudy white drainage is not expected during the first 12 to 24 hours. Gastric aspirates were most frequently cloudy and green, tan or off-white, or bloody or brown. Intestinal fluids were primarily clear and yellow to bile-colored. In the absence of blood, pleural fluid was usually pale yellow and serous, and tracheobronchial secretions were usually tan or off-white mucus.