NCT03934515

End-Tidal CO2 (etCO2) and pH in the Correct Naso-gastric Tube Placement

Tracheal etCO2 Level and Gastric pH Level Measurements During the Correct Naso-gastric Tube Placement in Unconscious Patients. A Physiological, Prospective, Observational Study

• Status: Completed
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 85 (actual)
• Sponsor: Clinica Luganese Moncucco · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The laying of a naso-gastric tube is an extremely common event in intensive medicine; although standard naso-gastric tube laying is performed at the patient's bedside, this procedure is not without risk. Through the use of methods already used in the clinical field, of daily use, we want to identify the threshold value between tracheal and esophageal etCO2 (group A) and the threshold value between gastric and esophageal pH (group B).

Detailed description

Numerous methodologies have been evaluated to recognize the correct positioning of NGT at the gastric level, including different clinical techniques (such as gastric auscultation, aspiration of the NGT), ultrasound techniques, etc. Actually, the diagnostic gold standard is the thoraco-abdominal anterior-posterior radiography, which is considered the only non-invasive method capable to confirm the correct pose of the NGT at intra-diaphragmatic level. This method, however, even if it is non-invasive, requires the use of ionizing radiation (4 micro-Sievert (uSv) for radiography) which could be repeated multiple time for the same patient; NGT may need to be repositioned several times during the same hospital stay, increasing patient exposure to ionizing radiation and, potentially, also the health workers exposure. The aim is to identify into the group A the threshold value between tracheal and esophageal etCO2 and into the group B the theshold value between gastric and esophageal pH. Phase A: etCO2 measurement will be collected 1. after intubation, when the tube is inserted into the endotracheal tube, before proceeding with the aspiration of secretions and 2. once the NGT has been inserted, by a probe located at the end of the tube. Phase B: pH measurement will be collected at the end of the procedure, once the NGT is inserted, at 1.a distance of 25 cm from the mouth (oesophageal site) and at 2. a distance of 40 cm (gastric site), aspirating the gastric contents and measuring on specific litmus paper.

Conditions

• Gastric Feeding Tube
• Blood Gas Monitoring, Transcutaneous
• pH

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	etCO2	At the end of the procedure, therefore, for each patient two values of etCO2 are acquired which will allow to obtain two "populations of values" of the etCO2: the values at the endotracheal level and the esophageal level values. The authors will find the "threshold value" of etCO2 collected when the NGT is well positioned in trachea. The study manager is not directly involved in the measurement and recording of etCO2 values.
OTHER	pH	At the end of the procedure, for each patient two values of pH are acquired which will allow to obtain two pH "value populations": a value at esophageal level and a value at the gastric level. The authors will find the "threshold value" of pH collected when the NGT is positioned in the esophagus and in the stomach. The study manager is not directly involved in the measurement and recording of pH values.

Timeline

• Start date: 2020-11-01
• Primary completion: 2021-04-01
• Completion: 2021-08-01
• First posted: 2019-05-02
• Last updated: 2021-10-05

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Switzerland