A patient recovering from abdominal surgery asks when the nasogastric tube will be removed. What is the best response?

• A. When the doctor orders it.
• B. Usually not until the third postoperative day.
• C. When you have bowel sounds and pass gas rectally.
• D. We can’t be sure since it’s different for each patient.

Answer: (C)

After abdominal surgery, the goal is to remove the NG tube when the bowel is waking up enough to handle contents again. The best sign to guide removal is the return of bowel motility, shown by listening for bowel sounds and the patient passing gas. These indicate the intestines are functioning and the tube can be removed with less risk of distention or reflux. Saying it’s on a fixed day isn’t reliable because recovery varies, and simply waiting for a doctor’s order doesn’t reflect the patient’s actual readiness. So, the tube is removed when bowel sounds are present and gas is passed.