A biologically transparent illumination device is more useful in children for detecting the position of the nasogastric tube in the stomach
link.springer.com shows its articles on its own site.
Read the article on link.springer.com ↗Article · Oct 2024 · 1 min read
In brief
In brief
This prospective study of 106 pediatric patients demonstrates that a light-emitting BTI catheter can confirm nasogastric tube placement in the stomach with 99% sensitivity, offering a radiation-free alternative to X-ray verification. The device successfully detected correct placement in the epigastric area in 105 of 106 cases, with 100% accuracy when BTI signal was visible.
- BTI device achieved 99% sensitivity for confirming NG tube placement in pediatric patients, offering a radiation-free alternative to X-ray.
- All 106 patients had correct NG tube placement when BTI light was visible in the epigastric area, demonstrating 100% positive predictive value.
- Mean NG tube insertion time was only 38 seconds, making BTI a rapid bedside confirmation method in children.
- BTI effectiveness may be limited in older/larger children; one 9-year-old had unclear visibility, likely due to increased abdominal thickness.
- BTI provides immediate visual feedback during insertion, potentially reducing procedural complications and eliminating radiation exposure in pediatrics.
Written by the GCMD Library team from the article.
Abstract
Purpose
The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the Biologically Transparent Illumination (BTI) device for confirming the correct placement of nasogastric (NG) tubes in children, as an alternative to X-ray, which exposes patients to radiation.
Methods
In this prospective observational study, 106 pediatric patients (ages 0–16) undergoing NG-tube insertion after general anesthesia were evaluated. The BTI catheter was used to emit bio-permeable red light from the NG tube, which was then visually confirmed in the cervical, thoracic, and epigastric regions. X-ray confirmed NG-tube placement in all patients. The ethics committee approved the study.
Results
The average patient age was 3.8 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 72:34. BTI was successfully detected in the epigastric area in 105 of 106 patients, with one 9-year-old patient having unclear BTI visibility. X-ray confirmed NG-tube placement in the stomach for all patients, resulting in a BTI sensitivity of 99%. The mean NG-tube insertion time was 38 s, and the mean abdominal thickness was 9.8 mm.
Conclusions
The BTI device proved to be a safe and effective method for NG-tube placement in children, offering a radiation-free alternative with 100% successful placement when BTI was detected in the epigastric area.