Nutrition Supplementation

Deaths associated with insertion of nasogastric tubes for enteral nutrition in the medical intensive care unit: Clinical and autopsy findings

“…In our hospital, and probably also in many others, it has therefore become standard care to insert nasogastric tubes blindly (i.e., without fluoroscopic guidance) at the ICU bedside. 2 Although it is well recognized that tube misplacement can occur with this procedure, 3,4 blind insertion is assumed to be safe-that is, not result in life-threatening complications-if a portable xray is obtained to confirm correct tube position in the stomach before feeding formula is infused. This assumption of safety from life-threatening injury is so widely accepted that blind insertion of feeding tubes is routinely performed by nurses who are not required to obtain specific certification for this procedure.…”