A biologically transparent illumination device is more useful in children for detecting the position of the nasogastric tube in the stomach

Purpose: The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the Biologically Transparent Illumination (BTI) device for confirming the correct placement of nasogastric (NG) tubes in children, as an alternative to X-ray, which exposes patients to radiation.

Methods: In this prospective observational study, 106 pediatric patients (ages 0-16) undergoing NG-tube insertion after general anesthesia were evaluated. The BTI catheter was used to emit bio-permeable red light from the NG tube, which was then visually confirmed in the cervical, thoracic, and epigastric regions. X-ray confirmed NG-tube placement in all patients. The ethics committee approved the study.

Results: The average patient age was 3.8 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 72:34. BTI was successfully detected in the epigastric area in 105 of 106 patients, with one 9-year-old patient having unclear BTI visibility. X-ray confirmed NG-tube placement in the stomach for all patients, resulting in a BTI sensitivity of 99%. The mean NG-tube insertion time was 38 s, and the mean abdominal thickness was 9.8 mm.

Conclusions: The BTI device proved to be a safe and effective method for NG-tube placement in children, offering a radiation-free alternative with 100% successful placement when BTI was detected in the epigastric area.