Safety and Efficacy of Nasogastric Tube Placement Prior to Long Tube Placement for the Conservative Management of Adhesive Small Bowel Obstruction: A Retrospective Analysis

Objective: Adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO) without strangulation or ischemia is typically treated conservatively. Compared to nasogastric tube (NGT) placement, long tube (LT) placement has shown lower surgery rates, but it is more invasive and may be poorly tolerated in frail patients. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of initial NGT placement followed by LT placement in ASBO.