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Published on: December 23, 2014
Utrasound as a method for confirming the positioning of enteral catheters in critically ill patients
Ronan De Souza1, Cecilia Gómez Ravetti2, Rafael Silva E Castro3
1Intensive Care Unit, Hospital das Clínicas of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, NIIMI (Núcleo Interdisciplinar de Investigação em Medicina Intensiva), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. ronansolza@yahoo.com.br.
Aim:
To evaluate the agreement between the bedside ultrasound in a single epigastric window and the plain X-ray to confirm the positioning of the enteral catheter in critically ill patients.
Material And Methods:
This was an observational, cross-sectional study conducted in two Intensive Care Units of a university hospital. The ultrasound exams were carried out immediately after the introduction of the enteral catheter, using only the epigastric window, with an injection of 5 ml of air associated with 5 ml of saline solution. In all cases, the plain radiography was taken to confirm the positioning of the enteral catheter and to define the beginning of nutritional therapy.
Results:
This study included 83 patients, the positioning of the enteral catheter was confirmed by plain radiography in all cases and by ultrasound in 81 (97.6%) patients. The median duration of the ultrasound exam was 2 (2-3) minutes, while the time spent between the request for the X-ray and the release of the exam for a doctor's appointment was 225 (120-330) minutes.
Conclusion:
Bedside ultrasound proved to be an effective, quick, and safe method to confirm the position of the enteral catheter in critically ill patients.
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