Three hundred patients who underwent upper abdominal operations were studied. One hundred fifty patients were treated by insertion of a nasogastric tube, and 150 patients were treated without it. The incidence of postoperative pneumonia was 10 times higher in the patients treated with a nasogastric tube. Pneumonia was directly related to the patient's age and the duration of the tube's use. In view of the disadvantages and complications of the nasogastric tube, its routine use appears unjustified. It should be reserved as a tool for treating postoperative complications such as paralytic ileus and acute gastric dilatation.