Describe the procedure to the family beforehand. Explain that the procedure is brief, temporarily uncomfortable, yields positive results in only 40% of cases and is only helpful if results are positive. Results take weeks to return. Encourage the parents to wait outside the room. Emphasize that the child will not be comforted by their presence (e.g. the parent will not be trying to "rescue" them) although they will be a very welcome sight when the procedure is done.
For more information for parents, please see Resources.
A) The patient should be NPO after midnight.
B) The family should come to the clinic first thing in the morning or if hospitalized, the parent should call the nurse as soon as the child awakens.
(Any family members who could possibly have active TB should wear masks to prevent transmission to healthcare workers.)
While young children with active TB are seldom contagious, procedures such as gastric aspiration which induce cough should be done in an appropriately engineered facility with appropriate filtration, negative pressure, etc. N-95 masks should be worn by the healthcare providers during the procedure. The room should be closed for one hour, or as prescribed by your infection control provider / engineers.