Best evidence summary for aspiration prevention and management in critically ill patients with nasogastric feeding.

Aim: To evaluate and summarize the available evidence on the prevention and management of nasogastric aspiration in critically ill patients to inform the development of evidence-based clinical practice.

Design: This study was an evidence summary according to the evidence summary reporting standard of the Fudan University Center for Evidence-Based Nursing.

Method: According to the '6S' model of evidence resources, evidence on the prevention and management of aspiration in critically ill patients on nasogastric feeding was retrieved, including clinical decision-making, best practices, guidelines, evidence summaries, expert consensus and systematic evaluations.

Data: UpToDate, BMJ Best Practice, JBI, National Guideline Clearing-house, Guidelines International Network, Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, Yi Mai tong Guidelines Network, the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, OVID, Sinomed, CNKI, Wan Fang database. The search period was from January 2013 to June 2023.

Results: We included a total of 30 high-quality articles and summarized 36 pieces of evidence from them. These pieces of evidence covered 11 dimensions of multidisciplinary management, aspiration risk assessment, tube location, nutritional infusion management, position management, airway management, and oral hygiene. The level of evidence in the study was predominantly level 1 and level 5, with 27 pieces of evidence recommended as 'strong' and 9 pieces of evidence recommended as 'weak'.

Conclusion: This study summarizes 36 pieces of evidence on preventing and managing aspiration in critically ill patients with nasogastric feeding. But the characteristics of hospitals should be considered in the application of future evidence.

Impact: Aspiration is the most serious complication during nasogastric feeding, which seriously affects the prognosis of patients. Preventing and managing aspiration in nasogastric patients has proven to be a challenging clinical problem. This study summarized 36 pieces of best evidence in 11 dimensions, including multidisciplinary team, assessment and identification, line position, feeding management, and so on. The implementation of these evidences is conducive to standardizing the operation behaviour of nasogastric feeding in clinical medical staff and reducing the occurrence of aspiration.

Reporting Method: This research followed the evidence summary reporting specifications of the Fudan University Center for Evidence-based Nursing.

Trial Registration: The registration number is 'ES20221368'.