Administering Tretinoin via an NG Tube
1.
2.
3.
4.
Put on Gloves
Count out the required number of capsules.
Draw up 10mL liquigen and place in a gallipot.
Place one capsule into a small pot of lukewarm water to soften the
capsule. The water should not be any hotter as it will make the capsule
explode.
5. Remove the softened capsule and snip off the tip with scissors.
6. Squeeze the contents into the olive oil
7. Wipe off any residual oil from your gloves.
8. Repeat stages 4-7 until the total dose has been removed
9. Stir up the oil and content mix and draw up into a 20mL enteral syringe
10. Add another 5mL liquigen to the gallipot to rinse out the remaining
medicine.
11. Draw this up into the enteral syringe.
12. Inject this into the NG tube
13. Draw up 10ml of liquigen into the same syringe and inject this down the
NG tube
14. Draw up 20mL of water into the same syringe and inject this down the
NG tube.
Dispose of any remaining pots and syringes into a burn bin.
John Dade
16th December 2013
Adapted from “Guidelines on How to give Isotretinoin via a Gastrostomy
Tube”. Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust. 2008.