Blind bedside insertion of small bowel feeding tubes

Area of Science:

• Clinical Nutrition
• Gastroenterology
• Medical Device Placement

Background:

• Naso-Jejunal (NJ) feeding tube placement presents challenges, often requiring specialized departments.
• Traditional methods involve patient transfers, leading to significant resource utilization.
• A novel bedside insertion technique was explored to overcome these limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the safety of bedside NJ tube insertion.
• To evaluate the efficacy of this minimally invasive procedure.
• To determine the resource implications and cost-effectiveness of the bedside approach.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 37 NJ tube insertions over 12 months.
• Training of clinical nutrition and nurse specialist personnel in the 10/10/10 bedside insertion method.
• NJ tubes were primarily inserted by nurse specialists or clinical nutritionists.

Main Results:

• A high success rate of 86% (32 out of 37 insertions) in achieving correct tube placement.
• Significant cost savings, estimated at €8,353.60 compared to Endoscopy insertion during the study period.
• Demonstrated feasibility of the bedside technique in a clinical setting.

Conclusions:

• Bedside NJ tube insertion by clinical nutritionists and nurse specialists is a safe and effective procedure.
• The technique offers substantial cost-effectiveness, reducing healthcare resource burden.
• This approach enhances the efficiency of small bowel feeding tube placement.