Removal of self-knotted nasogastric tube: technical note.

Placement of nasogastric tubes (NGTs) for feeding and gastric decompression is common in major head and neck surgical cases, surgical wards and intensive care units, and rarely results in complications. Knotting of an NGT occurs infrequently with small-bore feeding tubes. This report shows that this can occur even with large-bore feeding tubes. Risk factors and ways to avoid this in both awake and anaesthetized patients are discussed. A novel way of removing a knotted NGT is presented.