Patients being fed through nasogastric tubes could soon be receiving a safer and more secure treatment as a result of a new system developed by the University of Hull. Feeding tubes usually need to be inserted into the stomach, but because there is currently no definitive, safe and reliable method of verifying where the tube is being placed, they can sometimes be misplaced. If they are inserted into the lungs, for example, this can lead to serious and sometimes fatal consequences.
University pioneers safer feeding tubes
Ateam from the University of Hull has set out to create a fail-safe detection mechanism for the placement of feeding tubes that is reliable and cheap to manufacture. The team, led by Linda Shields, Professor of Nursing at the University of Hull, has created a prototype, which has now been patented.
