Methylene blue in tube feeds

[Hamhock]

The last two hostpitals I have worked at didn't allow food coloring or methylene blue in tube feeds (or elsewhere really).

I understand that it may not change outcomes when used to screen all ICU patients for aspiration. However, there are cases where it could still be useful -- yet there are guidelines (mostly nursing and hospital guidelines) saying it should never be used and is associated with some poor outcomes (maybe even mortality -- all correlational and anecdotal crap, I am betting).

Does anyone here hesitate to use it short term in tube feeds to help identify the source of continually aspirated "thick brown stuff" in tube fed patients?

HH

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[jdh71]

Never heard of this practice.

Usually think brown crap from the lungs is the lungs. Lungs are groce.

 

[SurfingDoctor]

Why bother at all and not just give them ND or NJ feeds?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=1395657