Orogastric intubation

• Insertion of a feeding tube into the stomach via the mouth.

Uses

• Decompression of gastric tympanism : most common use in rabbits.
• Providing nutrition in cases of anorexia Anorexia or decreased appetite: long-term anorexia may be better treated with an esophagostomy tube Esophagus: esophagostomy or with a nasogastric tube Nasogastric intubation.
• Administration of medication (single dosing) when the rabbit is not taking it by other routes: long-term therapy may be better achieved via an esophagostomy tube or with a nasogastric tube.

Advantages

• Acceptance is significantly better than nasogastric intubation.
• The procedure is quick, easy to learn and perform, and does not produce significant discomfort for the patient.
• In life-threatening situations, eg gastric bloating, orogastric intubation is recommended over nasogastric intubation or the placement of an esophagostomy tube.
• It may be performed by a single operator in an emergency situation.

Disadvantages

• It is not generally recommended for long-term treatment of any condition.

Technical problems

• Rubber tubes may be chewed by the patient:
  • As a general rule, this only means that the tube will need to be discarded after the procedure.
  • As it is a quick procedure (either for decompressing the stomach or for providing assisted feeding/medication), it is unlikely that the rabbit will have time to chew the tube to such extent that a piece may be ingested.

Alternative techniques

• Nasogastric tube Nasogastric intubation.
• Esophagostomy tube Esophagus: esophagostomy.
• Assisted feeding/administering medication using a syringe Syringe feeding.

Time required

Procedure

• 1-5 min.

Decision taking

Criteria for choosing test

• Life-threatening gastric bloat (tympanism) . This condition may occur as a result of an episode of gastrointestinal stasis, and less likely as a result of a physical obstruction or fermentation of inappropriate food.
• Assisted feeding/administering medication. Only when the rabbit refuses food/medication given orally by syringe and when a more permanent method, eg nasogastric or esophagostomy tube, has not been implemented yet.

Risk assessment

• Risks of this technique include esophageal damage (particularly when metallic feeding tubes are used) and aspiration pneumonia if the food content/liquid medication is introduced inadvertently into the trachea.
• In cases of life-threatening gastric bloat, benefits always outweigh possible risks.