ArticleThe British journal of radiology2021
X-ray checks of NG tube position: a case for guided tube placement.
Article in The British journal of radiology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 34 citations in OpenAlex.
- Ultrasonography for confirmation of gastric tube placement.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Bedside Ultrasonography-Guided Nasogastric Tube Placement: Scoping Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Pilot Evaluation of a Deep Learning Model for Nasogastric Tube Verification on Chest Radiographs: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.Tomography (Ann Arbor, Mich.) · 2025Article
- A Rare Misplacement of Nasojejunal Feeding Tube in the Lung.Digestive diseases and sciences · 2025Article
- Experience Using a New Gastric Tube Tip Localization System (Tumguide).Anesthesia progress · 2025Article
- Deep learning based dual stage model for accurate nasogastric tube positioning in chest radiographs.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The Utilization of Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) for the Confirmation of Gastric and Post-Pyloric Feeding Tube Placement in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.POCUS journal · 2025Article
- Verification of Nasogastric Tube Positioning Using Ultrasound by an Intensive Care Nurse: A Pilot Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Comment on Miyamoto et al. Laryngopharyngeal Mucosal Injury Due to Nasogastric Tube Insertion during Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Effect of modified gastrointestinal decompression under abdominal CT in patients with intestinal obstruction.Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England · 2024Article
- Mal-positioned nasogastric feeding tubes: are medical students safe to identify them?The British journal of radiology · 2024Article
- Development and clinical feasibility of a reduced-dose radiograph in children for feeding tube placement.Pediatric radiology · 2024Article
- Nasogastric tube insertion length measurement and tip verification in adults: a narrative review.Critical care (London, England) · 2023Review
- Performance of Point-of-Care Ultrasonography in Confirming Feeding Tube Placement in Mechanically Ventilated Patients.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Chest X-ray Interpretation: Detecting Devices and Device-Related Complications.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Integrated real-time imaging system, 'IRIS', Kangaroo feeding tube: a guide to placement and image interpretation.BMJ open gastroenterology · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesChecking nasogastric (NG) tube position by X-ray is too late to prevent 1.5% of blind tube placements entering the lung and results in delays to feeding and drugs. We audit the safety of the tube position and delay incurred by X-ray.
methodsFrom Radiology reports, we determined whether tube position was safe for feeding, factors associated with an X-ray request and the time delay from X-ray request to that report. For tubes misplaced into the lung, the distance from the carina to tube tip was measured and compared with that from published records of guided tube placement.
resultsFrom 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020, 1934 X-rays were done to check NG tube position in 891 patients. Gastric placement was confirmed in 85% but, because of tube proximity to the oesophagus, only 73% were deemed safe to feed. The 2.2% of tubes reported to be in the lung were a median of 18 cm beyond the carina compared to 12 cm and 0 cm for electromagnetic and direct vision methods of guided placement. X-ray checks delayed feed and drug treatment by
conclusionX-ray checks are common and detect a high percentage of unsafe tube placements, leading to repeated X-ray and delayed delivery of drugs and nutrition. Interpretation can be difficult even when following standard national criteria and post-placement X-ray cannot prevent deep lung placement. Guided or combined methods of confirming tube placement should be investigated. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: Reports included 27.5% of placements as unsafe, 2.2% in the lung at a median depth of 18 cm beyond the carina and too late to prevent 7 pneumothoraces. X-rays were repeated
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.