On February 15, 2022, a fellow Biomed student Anna Marie came and taught our class about the NICU and how to insert a Nasogastric Tube into an infant! The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit specializes in the care of sick or premature babies. The term "neonatal" refers to the first 28 days of life. She also explained what a Tracheostomy is, which is the surgical opening of the trachea where a tube is then inserted to allow air in and out. This is needed when there is an obstruction of the airway or respiratory or heart issue. She also described what a PICC Line is, which is a thin flexible tube that is usually inserted in the bend of the arm so that a catheter can be threaded through. It can be used to administer many medications and fluids!
A Nasogastric Tube is a thin soft tube that goes through the nose and into the stomach to feed formula, breast milk, or food to a child who cannot get it by their mouths. To Insert the tube you must measure it halfway between the breast bone and belly button, mark that spot, insert the tube into the nostril keeping your aim toward the opposite one and push gently until you reach your mark, tape the tube to the patients cheek, then use a syringe to suction to make sure the tube is in the stomach and not the lungs. If the tube accidentally gets into the lung it could potentially be harmful if not quickly taken out. Anna Marie brought a dummy to demonstrate and even let our whole class try it our for ourselves!
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