Expandable nasogastric tube

Project Overview

Nasogastric tubes (NG tubes) are commonly used for aspiration of gastic contents and gastric decompression in patients with small bowel obstruction. Placement of a NG tube causes discomfort and pain during insertion due in part to the large diameter of the tube. Topical anesthetics such as lidocaine and lubricant gels and spray can be used to reduce the pain of NG insertion. Physicians underutilize these anesthetics due to underappreciation of pain, concerns about side effects, availability of desired medications and administration barriers to anesthetic use. Furthermore, despite these modalities discomfort remains during insertion due to the large size of the NG tube.

The project proposed would assist in the development of a small diameter tube that would contain a material that is sufficiently rigid to avoid folding or kinking of the tube during placement in the oropharynx and that would expand after appropriate placement. For expansion, the tube could contain materials similar to that used in arterial stents and would be impregnated with an anesthetic solution to enhance comfort during and after placement. Ideally, the materials would also be recyclable and/or made from recycled materials. (The position of the tube would be confirmed by a color indicator which changes once it is within the low pH environment of the stomach.)

Thus this project will require skills in materials and design to develop a prototype of a NG tube that is 1) expandable, 2) coated or impregnated with anesthetic agent, and 3) recyclable and/or made from recycled materials.