Coca Cola

Had a patient in ICU, total liver failure, very sad case. Young guy not even 40 yet, probably won't live to see his next birthday, emacipated arms and legs, huge pregnant looking ascites belly. Lot's of co-existing problems, since the liver does so many things besides filter blood. The liver has a lot to do with blood coagulation and so on.

Well the little guy had a Nasal Gastric Tube and was getting feeding via the tube. I had done all the proper things like flushing the tube, checking residule, hanging new tubing and new feeding. I had noticed that the flush was a little sluggish, but nothing really concerning, until I needed to give some medication just before end of shift. I go to check residule and the tubing looks like clabbered milk. Ummmm, cannot aspirate with large barrel syringe, cannot push H20. Ok by now I'm starting to sweat. I have to unplug this sucker. Removing it and placing another is a no go because of esphogeal varcies and the high high high risk of the duke bleeding to death. The best solution is usually to place some soda in the tubing and wait then work it until it clears, the only problem there is the hospital no longer provides cola's for the patient's (budget ya know). Well, it just so happened I had a soda in my fridge stash (my dear hubby had sent it for my lunch two weeks ago, I don't drink soda so I had just saved it) so I put some down and worked and worked and worked. I was finally able to aspirate part of the feeding (which is like baby formula...only like I said clabbered). Dude asks me what I'm doing, he has been without anything to eat or drink by mouth for 20 days, I tell him I'm putting Coke Classic in his tubing to clear it. He gets a big grin and says "Coke...I'm getting Coke...wow!" It was so funny.

So this morning before I leave I go in and flush the tubing, he looks at me, raises his eyebrows hopefully and queries "Coke???". It was just so funny!