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Malposition of feeding tubes in neonates: is it an issue?

Daniel Quandt1, Thomas Schraner, Hans Ulrich Bucher

  • 1Clinic for Neonatology, University Hospital of Zürich, Frauenklinikstrasse 10, 8091 Zürich, Switzerland. daniel.quandt@kispi.uzh.ch

Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
|April 16, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Incorrect placement of feeding tubes in neonates is common, affecting 59% of cases. This highlights the need for improved methods to ensure accurate orogastric and nasogastric tube positioning for safe infant nutrition.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Accurate orogastric (OG) and nasogastric (NG) tube placement is critical for safe and effective enteral feeding in neonates.
  • Existing literature acknowledges placement errors but lacks precise prevalence data, particularly in the neonatal population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of improperly placed OG and NG feeding tubes in neonates.
  • To identify the frequency of suboptimal tube positioning in this vulnerable patient group.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective review of 381 consecutive radiographs.
  • Radiographic assessment to define the position of OG and NG feeding tubes.

Main Results:

  • Optimal feeding tube position was achieved in only 41% of cases.
  • A significant majority, 59% of feeding tubes, were found to be incorrectly placed.

Conclusions:

  • A high prevalence of incorrect feeding tube placement necessitates urgent improvements.
  • Enhanced guidelines for measuring tube insertion depth and advanced confirmation techniques are required to improve neonatal feeding safety.
Abstract

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