Bedside enteral feeding tube placement into duodenum and jejunum

A bedside method for placement of nasoenteric feeding tubes is described utilizing gravity and corkscrewing of the feeding tube to pass the pylorus and then air injection to verify position of the tube from the location and character of transmitted sounds to the stethoscope. Twenty-eight of 31 consecutive patients requiring enteral feeding had tubes successfully placed past the pylorus using this method, 25 on the first attempt and three on the second. This method is an effective and inexpensive alternative to endoscopic or fluoroscopic feeding tube placement.