Medication Administration through a Gastrostomy Tube

1. Wash hands with soap and water.

2. Get supplies – medicine, water, syringe, small medicine cup, and towel.

3. Crush pills into a powder using a pill crusher. Always check with the pharmacist to make sure your medicines can be crushed and ask the pharmacy for liquid medicines when available.

4. In a small medicine cup, add water to the crushed medicine and mix well.
Make sure medicine is mixed in with the water.

5. Sitting up, remove plug from G-Tube.
You may kink the G-Tube to prevent stomach contents from coming out.

6. Attach syringe, pull back on the plunger and draw out some stomach contents.

7. Push down on plunger and return the stomach contents.

8. Flush G-tube with 30 ml of water.

9. Draw up the medicine into the syringe.

10. Attach syringe and push down on the plunger to give the medicine.

11. Flush G-tube with 5 to 30 ml of water between the giving of each medicine.

12. Flush G- tube with 30 ml of water after giving the last medicine.

Note: This information is not meant to replace any information or personal medical advice which you get directly from your doctor(s). If you have any questions about this information, such as the risks or benefits of the treatment listed, please ask your doctor(s).

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Author
Anna Curran. RN, BSN, PHN

Anna Curran. RN, BSN, PHN
Clinical Nurse Instructor

Emergency Room Registered Nurse
Critical Care Transport Nurse
Clinical Nurse Instructor for LVN and BSN students

Anna began writing extra materials to help her BSN and LVN students with their studies and writing nursing care plans. She takes the topics that the students are learning and expands on them to try to help with their understanding of the nursing process and help nursing students pass the NCLEX exams.

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