Microbiome profile informs cleansing and storage practices for reusable feeding tube stylets in critical care

Cleansing and storage practices for reusable feeding tube stylets are varied and lack consensus guidelines. Almost 40% of critical care nurses do not cleanse reusable stylets. Our proof-of-concept study aimed to identify potential microbial contamination of stylets before and after cleansing with 70% isopropyl alcohol to establish practice standards.

This prospective, exploratory pilot study sampled reusable feeding tube stylets using three different stylet sample sets. Set 1 included human participant stylets sampled for microbiome profile precleansing, and postcleansing and reinsertion into feeding tubes (n = 4). Sets 2 and 3 included stylets stored at the bedside. Set 2 included precleansed stylets for microbiome profiles (n = 5). Set 3 included precleansed and postcleansed stylets sampled for quantitative cultures (n = 5). Careful handling and storage protocols were used. Microbiome profiling used 16s ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing.

Bacterial species identified on stylets were primarily common microflora and opportunistic pathogens, including Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas fulva, Cutibacterium acnes, Prevotella melaninogenica, and Lactobacillus paracasei. Microbiological culturing of stylet samples (set 3) did not yield growth for 9/10 samples; Staphylococcus capitis was identified in one postcleansed sample. Mean bacterial species diversity (alpha diversity) decreased following alcohol cleansing (M = 2.54 pre, M = 1.5 post; P = 0.006).

The abundance of several potentially opportunistic pathogens indicated plausible risk for gut contamination secondary to reinsertion of stylets into small-bore feeding tubes. Stylet cleansing with 70% isopropyl alcohol reduced bacterial burden on the stylets, although viability was unknown. Careful cleansing, handling, and storage protocols for reusable stylets are necessary to minimize contamination.