By far, feeding tubes are no fun. They are no fun for patients and their families, doctors and passers-by. If you take a feeding tube placement system, computerize it, gadget it up — well… it is still no fun.
It is however nice to know that someone is developing better systems, as feeding tubes are so important for so many patients.
From a press release by VIASYS MedSystems:
The CORTRAK system consists of a computer monitor, a receiver unit and a specially designed transmitter stylet. As the feeding tube is advanced, the monitor provides a real time representation of the feeding tube’s relative position within the alimentary canal. Feeding tube placements, gastric or small bowel, follow a distinct “track”. Any deviation from the expected track can be resolved by the clinician, thus preventing accidental lung placements or coiling tubes in the stomach. Clinical studies indicate an extremely high rate of successful bedside placement of small bowel feeding tubes on the first attempt.
“In the U.S. alone, over one million feeding tubes are placed each year to provide enteral nutrition to critically ill patients,” according to Tom Kuhn, President of VIASYS MedSystems. “It is essential that the feeding tube be placed in the correct location to avoid lung injury and to ensure that the patient receives the maximum benefit of his or her nutritional support regimen. In many cases, multiple x-rays are required to confirm the position of the tube before feeding can begin. Use of the CORTRAK system can minimize the costs associated with additional confirmatory x-rays. The CORTRAK system is a significant technological improvement in the safety, quality and cost of care for these critically ill patients,” says Kuhn.
More at VIASYS MedSystems…