Nasoenteric Feeding Tubes. Radiographic Detection of Complications

Overview

Journal Dig Dis Sci

Specialty Gastroenterology

Date 1986 Jun 1

PMID 3086062

Citations 13

Authors

G G Ghahremani

R J Gould

Affiliations

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Abstract

Recent technical refinement of feeding tubes and formula infusion pumps has led to widespread clinical use of long-term nasoenteric alimentation. We evaluated 340 hospitalized adults after placement of flexible, small-bore feeding tubes. These debilitated or critically ill patients were intubated transnasally at their bedside without fluoroscopic guidance, but portable radiographs of the chest and abdomen were obtained routinely for tube localization before administering liquid nutrients. Various complications were detected in 26 cases (7.6%). Tube malposition into the airways (seven patients) or within the pharynx and esophagus (eight patients) was the most common problem; it occurred in 4.4% of all cases. Radiographic findings in 11 other patients included tube-induced perforation of the lung (one case), massive aspiration (three), malfunction of knotted tubes (three), and rupture of their mercury capsule within the gastrointestinal tract (four). Our observations indicate a need for careful radiographic localization of the feeding tubes at the time of insertion and their periodic monitoring throughout the course of nasoenteric alimentation.

Citing Articles

Nasogastric/nasoenteric tube-related adverse events: an integrative review.

Motta A, Rigobello M, Silveira R, Gimenes F Rev Lat Am Enfermagem. 2021; 29:e3400.

PMID: 33439952 PMC: 7798396. DOI: 10.1590/1518-8345.3355.3400.

Haemorrhagic exfoliative oesophagitis associated with nasogastric tube placement.

Sudo G, Goto A, Fujisawa T, Nakase H BMJ Case Rep. 2020; 13(11).

PMID: 33229484 PMC: 7684668. DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2020-237485.

Ruptured, weighted, enteral feeding-tube tip presenting as enteric foreign objects.

Meyer T, Verbrugge J, Neutze J Radiol Case Rep. 2016; 5(3):429.

PMID: 27307871 PMC: 4898292. DOI: 10.2484/rcr.v5i3.429.

To characterize the incidence of airway misplacement of nasogastric tubes in anesthetized intubated patients by using a manometer technique.

Hsieh S, Chen H, Chen Y, Hung K J Clin Monit Comput. 2016; 31(2):443-448.

PMID: 26964993 DOI: 10.1007/s10877-016-9860-6.

Gastric tube insertion under direct vision using the King Vision™ video laryngoscope: a randomized, prospective, clinical trial.

Okabe T, Goto G, Hori Y, Sakamoto A BMC Anesthesiol. 2014; 14:82.

PMID: 25278810 PMC: 4180947. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2253-14-82.

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