A real-world evaluation of the NGPOD device, aimed at simplifying and improving the pH testing for nasogastric tube placement.

Nasogastric feeding tubes are used when patients cannot swallow food, liquids, or medication safely. After insertion, national guidance requires that clinicians confirm that the nasogastric tube is correctly placed before each time they are used. The current test that confirms correct placement relies on obtaining fluid (known as aspirate) from the tube and tested using pH test strips. Testing is vital as an incorrectly placed tube (most common misplacements are curled up inside the upper airway or placed into the main bronchus in the lung) can have immediate and serious consequences including severe injury or death. The current pH testing regime can be unreliable, time-consuming, and often still requires an X-Ray to confirm pH results. Such testing methods often delay feeding treatment or the ability to give medications in a timely way, which all combines to increase inefficiencies within a healthcare setting and lead to more staff and patient anxiety. There are also well-documented human and technical factors associated with the current confirmation methods, leading to errors, delays, and increased risk. The NGPOD technology has been shown to reduce the number of confirmatory X-rays and delays to feeding and administration of medication within a controlled research setting- against standard pH testing protocols. [14] Following this finding we carried out real world clinical evaluations on the management of nasogastric feeding tubes on two stroke wards, one at Morriston Hospital, Swansea Bay UHB (Wales, UK) and one at Glangwili Hospital, Hywel Dda UHB (Wales, UK). Our evaluation was over a five-month period and assessed the NGPOD device’s ability of measuring pH to verify the correct placement of NG tubes in patients in real world settings.