Which intervention should be included in the plan of care for a client after a gastroscopy?

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The main point is airway protection after an upper GI endoscopy. Sedation used for the procedure relaxes or suppresses swallowing and cough reflexes, so the risk of aspirating during swallowing is high until those reflexes come back to baseline. Keeping the patient NPO until the gag reflex returns ensures they don’t aspirate food or fluids while swallowing is not yet safe. Once the patient can swallow and cough effectively, oral intake can be resumed per orders.

Routine post-procedure monitoring of vital signs happens, but it doesn’t address the key safety issue of preventing aspiration. Being kept in a supine position for several hours increases aspiration risk, so many protocols favor side-lying or a more upright, comfortable position once awake. Irrigating an NG tube isn’t a standard step unless there’s a specific reason tied to another intervention or complication.