Listen for air exchange. As the naso gastric tube is advanced into the patient, when it gets to the carina stop and place the end of the tube close to your ear. If you hear air, the tube may be in the patients air ways. Stop and remove it. This method should NOT be used to VERIFY final placement of the tube.
Aspirate stomach contents. Once the tube gets to the stomach, insert a syringe into the end of the tube and aspirate fluid from the patients stomach. Test this fluid with litmus paper. Then read the ph results. It should be below 4 showing the stomach contents are acidic and that the tube is in the stomach.
Order a chest x ray. The definitive way to assess for placement of a naso gastric feeding tube is by doing a chest x ray on the patient. The nurse should consult the physician for an xray order.