Accuracy of Ultrasonography in Confirming Correct Positioning of Nasogastric Tube in the Intensive Care Setting

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT06693219

Enrollment

182

Registered

2024-11-18

Start date

2018-05-24

Completion date

2023-04-30

Last updated

2024-11-18

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Accuracy, Critical Care, Intensive Care, Nasogastric Tube Placement, Ultrasonography

Brief summary

The goal of the study was to test whether a sonographic examination instead of an X-ray allows the position of a tube in the stomach to be checked. Participants were patients admitted at an intensive care unit who required a nasogastric tube for several reasons (for example nutrition). After obtaining an informed consent from the patient or the family, the researchers checked the position of the tube with ultrasound and compared it with the gold standard, which is radiography. Data analysis allowed the concordance between the two tests to be analyzed.

Interventions

DIAGNOSTIC_TESTultrasonography to confirm the correct placement of a nasogastric tube in the stomach

The sonographic examination consisted of three parts: neck scan, epigastric scan, and injection test using a mixture of 25 mL NaCl 0.9% and 25 mL room air through the nasogastric tube to detect dynamic fogging

Study design

Allocation

Intervention model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary purpose

DIAGNOSTIC

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* age ≥ 18 years * an already inserted nasogastric tube or required nasogastric tube insertion * no contraindication for chest or abdominal X-ray * no contraindication for neck and upper abdominal ultrasonography

Exclusion criteria

* pregnancy * basal skull fractures * facial fractures * previous or recent surgery of the neck, esophagus or stomach

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography in determining correct nasogastric tube placement in the stomach	Through study completion (enrollment of approximately 180 patients)	In order to assess its diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, positive predictive value) we compared the index test (ultrasonography) against the reference standard (X-ray)

Countries

Switzerland

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026