Placement of a Magnetic Small Bowel Feeding Tube at the Bedside

Cost-effectiveness analysis of nasojejunal tube feeding for the prevention of pneumonia in critically ill adults

BACKGROUND

Nasojejunal tube (NJT) feeding has demonstrated value in reducing pneumonia in critically ill adults who require enteral nutritional (EN) support. This study discusses whether EN support via nasojejunal tube (NJT) feeding is more cost-effective than nasogastric tube (NGT) feeding in reducing pneumonia.

METHODS

A decision tree model was created. The analysis was based on data from a health care provider in China. Model inputs were derived from published data. The endpoints included incremental cost per pneumonia infection avoided, incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), net monetary benefit (NMB) and incremental net monetary benefit (INMB) associated with prevention of pneumonia. The uncertainty was assessed through one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analysis.

RESULTS

The base case analysis showed that EN support via NJT feeding resulted in 0.7453 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) at a cost of $3018.83 compared to NGT feeding, which resulted in 0.7354 QALYs at a cost of $4788.76. NJT feeding was better than NGT feeding, providing an INMB of $2,075.09 and an ICER of $-178,813.96 per QALY gained, and the cost per pneumonia infection prevented was $16,808.51. The probabilistic sensitivity analysis indicated that NJT feeding was more cost-effective in 83.4% of the cases, with a cost below the WTP threshold. The NMB and INMB estimation for different WTP thresholds also indicated that NJT feeding is the optimal strategy.

CONCLUSIONS

EN support via NJT feeding was a more cost-effective strategy than NGT feeding in preventing pneumonia in critically ill adults. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Development of a Competency Model for Placement and Verification of Nasogastric and Nasoenteric Feeding Tubes for Adult Hospitalized Patients

Nasogastric/nasoenteric (NG/NE) feeding tube placements are associated with adverse events and, without proper training, can lead to devastating and significant patient harm related to misplacement. Safe feeding tube placement practices and verification are critical. There are many procedures and techniques for placement and verification; this paper provides an overview and update of techniques to guide practitioners in making clinical decisions. Regardless of placement technique and verification practices employed, it is essential that training and competency are maintained and documented for all clinicians placing NG/NE feeding tubes. This paper has been approved by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) Board of Directors.

Percutaneous Ultrasound Gastrostomy: A Novel Device and Bedside Procedure for Gastrostomy Tube Insertion Using Magnetic and Ultrasound Guidance

This paper describes a novel percutaneous ultrasound gastrostomy (PUG) procedure and the CoapTech point-of-care ultrasound magnet-aligned gastrostomy (PUMA-G) device, which were developed to allow the placement of gastrostomy tubes by physicians across a variety of specialties, using ultrasound equipment found in many nonspecialized medical locations while consuming fewer resources. The current practice for the placement of gastrostomy tubes requires highly specialized equipment and trained physicians, which can delay the performance of the procedure or make it inaccessible in some locations. The PUMA-G device consists of an orogastric catheter with a balloon that encloses a magnetic bar at its distal end and an external, handheld magnet. The orogastric tube is passed through the mouth or the nose and into the stomach. The external magnet is then used to maneuver the balloon to the desired location in the stomach, with feedback and guidance from real-time ultrasound visualization. The novelty of this approach is the use of magnets to create the static compressive force needed for coaptation, in which the stomach is pushed flush against the abdominal wall, allowing ultrasound visualization of the entire gastrostomy tract (skin to stomach), safe cutaneous puncture, and guidewire-assisted placement of the gastrostomy tube. The development of the PUMA-G device has been aided by benchtop and simulation testing in addition to canine and human cadaver studies. The PUMA-G device was used successfully in 29 of 30 cadaver tests, with the one failure attributed to operator error and not the device. Further testing in live patients will assess the safety of the procedure, the speed with which it can be completed, the cost savings, and other benefits the device might offer over the existing gastrostomy procedures.