Pre-Feed Intragastric PH Measurements in Healthy Preterm Inpatients

Abstract

Background and aims:The normal Reflux Index (percentage time with pH < 4) in preterm infants has a wide range (0.7 -11.9%) reflecting the limited data for preterm infant. A recent UK National patient safety alert led to a change in practise requiring that the position of a nasogastric tube has to be confirmed by checking the acidity of gastric aspirates prior to a feed.