Background:
The use of gastric tubes in newborns admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit is fairly high, and there is a risk of serious complications related to this procedure.
Purpose:
Considering the need to find a method that does not involve the patient's exposure to radiation, this study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography for verifying gastric tube placement in newborns.
Methods:
This was a prospective, double-blind, observational study performed in a neonatal intensive care unit, in which 159 infants had gastric intubation using ultrasound examination and radiological imaging, to verify positioning. Results were analyzed in terms of diagnostic accuracy.
Results:
The tubes were correctly positioned in 157 cases (98.7%), according to radiological images, and in 156 cases (98.1%), according to ultrasound. The sensitivity analysis was 0.98 and the positive predictive value was 0.99. It was not possible to perform a specificity analysis, as there were not enough negative cases in the sample.
Implications for Practice:
The use of ultrasonography to identify correct positioning of gastric tubes in infants and newborns shows good sensitivity.
Implications for Research:
It was not possible to evaluate the ultrasonography specificity; further studies with greater samples are probably necessary, so that this objective can be achieved.
Video Abstract available at
https://journals.lww.com/advancesinneonatalcare/Pages/videogallery.aspx?videoId=29&autoPlay=true.
AIT risk was similar in the PCOS and the non-PCOS group. SCH are more common in women with PCOS, highlighting a need for periodic monitoring of thyroid function.
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