pH testing paper for measurement of intragastric acidity: an assessment.

Regular evaluation of the pH of aspirated gastric juice is an important part of the routine prevention of the stress ulceration syndrome. This study has examined the use of commercially available pH paper for this purpose. Both clear buffer solutions and samples of gastric aspirate were used to assess the reliability of four products, Merck Universal pH Indicator strips (Art. 9535), Lyphan Universal pH Indicator paper, Whatman Wide Range pH paper and Macherey-Nagel Universal pH paper. The results show that the Merck strips and Lyphan paper are very reliable for measuring gastric aspirate pH and that intensive care nursing staff can make accurate observations when using these papers.