"How I do it"--head and neck. A targeted problem and its solution: securing of intermediate duration feeding tubes.

A method to secure a nasogastric tube for intermediate-duration tube feeding is presented. It is especially appropriate during the postoperative care of a patient with head and neck cancer, when reinsertion of the tube carries the risk of rupture of a suture line. To date, in over 100 patients, we have seen no complications and no premature extubations resulting from the use of this technique.