NASO-GASTRIC FEEDING TUBE PLACEMENT VERIFICATION SYSTEM

鼻胃（NG）饲管用于向患者输送营养 在疗养院、医院和家庭护理中无法自己吃饭的人 设置. 通过以下方式将NG管不当置入肺部或气管 照料者可能导致并发症，包括肺炎和死亡。 目前，正确放置NG管的唯一确定方法是 X光片-拍摄腹部X光片，以验证 NG管尖端的位置。 然而，X射线的辐射 剂量，是耗时的，并且相对昂贵。 一个手持的， 非射线照相，NG管位置验证系统将改善 在许多情况下，通过降低风险和成本来护理患者。 在第一阶段，原型非射线照相，NG管验证系统 将得到发展。 它将基于一种技术， 华盛顿大学，西雅图。 第一阶段的具体目标是 确定使用该技术的系统的可行性和成本。 在第二阶段，原型将被完善和发展成为一个手- 持有单位。 它将用于初步临床试验， 系统相对于X射线验证的准确性，并开始 符合FDA许可标准。 建议的商业应用：估计约700万 在美国，每年都会将NG饲管植入患者体内，并且 其中至少10%是通过X射线确认插入的。 x射线 病人的确认费用从80美元到100美元不等， 医疗费用超过6000万美元。 很大比例的 这种成本（和相关的医生时间）将被消除， 提出的非射线照相系统。 此外，该系统将允许 在没有准备好的情况下，将NG管自信地放置在患者体内 使用X射线设备，例如在疗养院或 病人自己的家。

Naso-gastric (NG) feeding tubes are used to deliver nutrition to patients who cannot eat for themselves in nursing homes, hospitals, and home care settings. Improper placement into the lungs or trachea of NG tubes by caregivers can result in complications, including pneumonia and death. Currently, the only certain method of proper NG tube placement is radiographic - an X-ray film is taken of the abdomen to verify the location of the tip of the NG tube. However, X-rays deliver a radiation dose, are time consuming, and are relatively expensive. a hand-held, non-radiographic, NG tube position verification system would improve patient care in many situation by reducing both risks and cost. During phase I, a prototype non-radiographic, NG tube verification system will be developed. It will be based around a technology licensed from the University of Washington, Seattle. The specific Phase I goal is to establish the feasibility and costs of a system using this technology. During Phase II, the prototype will be refined and developed into a hand- held unit. It will be used in preliminary clinical trials to establish the system's accuracy relative to X-ray verification, and to begin fulfilling FDA licensing criteria. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: It is estimated that about 7 million NG feeding tubes are placed into patients per year in the US, and that at least 10% of these are inserted with X-ray confirmation. X-ray confirmation costs to the patient range from $80 to $100 - giving an approximate health care cost of over $60 million. A large percentage of this cost (and associated physician time) would be eliminated by the proposed non-radiographic system. In addition, this system would allow NG tubes to be confidently placed in patients where there is no ready access to X-ray equipment, for example in nursing homes or in the patient's own home.