Application of blind bedside non-spiral nasointestinal tubes in critically ill patients

Objective To evaluate the effect of blind bedside non-spiral nasointestinal tubes in critically ill patients. Methods Patients requiring bedside nasointenstinal tubes in intensive care unit of Nanjing First Hospital from February 2017 to February 2018 were enrolled in this study. The placement of nasointenstinal tubes was conducted according to the reference procedure of our department, recording operation times, operation duration, position of the tube′s tip, expense and complications. Results A total of 53 patients received the bedside non-spiral nasointenstinal tubes which were conducted for 64 times. 51 patients(51/53, 94.4%) were successful in tube placement, 45 case-times(45/64, 70.3%) were successful at the first attempt, and 50 case-times(50/64, 78.1%) were successful at the second attempt in accumulation. The mean time of our procedure was (13.80±6.90) minutes, the mean insertion length was (99.55±8.35) cm, and the mean expense was (244.82±45.68) Yuan. No severe complications were observed. Conclusion Blind bedside placement of non-spiral nasointestinal tubes has high success rate and many advantages as short operation time, low expense and less complications, which is a good choice for early establishment of enteral feeding pathway and early supplement of enteral nutrition in critically ill patients. Key words: Nasointestinal tube; Blind bedside placement; Enteral nutrition; Critical illness