NGPOD pH test compared to pH measurement to assess NGT position
Research type
Research Study
Full title
NGPOD® pH test compared to current NHS Trust practice to determine Nasogastric Tube (NGT) position.
IRAS ID
217641
Contact name
Adam Partington
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NGPOD Global Ltd
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN14985496
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 30 days
Research summary
Most nasogastric tubes (NGT) placed in the UK are inserted "blind" i.e. the inserting method does not use a form of visualisation to establish that they are in the correct position prior to use. The use of a misplaced NGT is currently classified as a Never Event by NHS England.
Current NHSI (NPSA) guidelines recommend pH testing of aspirate obtained from the NGT. This can be a difficult procedure with only approx 60% success in obtaining aspirate and where aspirate is obtained a variety of human factors can affect the accurate interpretation of the result. Inability to obtain aspirate currently means that patients are sent for X-Ray to determine NGT position, and NHSI Level 2 Alert July 2016 identified misinterpretation of X-Ray as the root cause of 45% of NGT related Never Events in the preceding 12 months.
The study sets to compare a new fibre optic device, NGPOD, that gives an unambiguous result as to the pH of the environment at the tip of the NGT with current standard practice to determine if the device is at least as reliable as testing of pH aspirate and whether a result is obtained more often using the device which would reduce the requirement for X-Rays reducing the risk to patients of repeated exposure and of injury/death due to misinterpretation of the result.
The funder is NGPOD Global Ltd.
The study will take place in Hospitals in England.REC name
North West - Haydock Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/NW/0019
Date of REC Opinion
22 Feb 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion