Malposition of feeding tubes in neonates: is it an issue?

Objective: Accurate tube placement of orogastric and nasogastric feeding tubes in neonates is important to ensure safe and effective enteral feeding. Errors in placement and position of feeding tubes are described in literature, but there is little evidence of the exact prevalence of improperly placed tubes, especially in neonates.

Methods: To evaluate the prevalence of improperly placed feeding tubes, we reviewed 381 consecutive radiographs and defined the position of the feeding tubes.

Results: We found that in 41% of the placements, the optimal position of the feeding tubes was achieved, whereas overall 59% of the feeding tubes had been placed incorrectly.

Conclusions: There is a need for both better rules to measure the distance between nose (lips) and the body of the stomach and improved methods to confirm correct tube position in neonates.