Evaluation of ultrasonography as an alternative method for nasogastric tube placement verification: a cadaveric study

Erdurmus O. Y., Uysal Ş. M., Oğuz A. B., Salman N., Çatal Y., GENÇ S., ...Daha Fazla

Irish Journal of Medical Science, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s11845-026-04388-x
  • Dergi Adı: Irish Journal of Medical Science
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, EMBASE
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Auscultation, Cadaver, Emergency medicine, Nasogastric tube, Ultrasonography
  • Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Aim: To compare the effectiveness of ultrasonography (USG) and auscultation in verifying nasogastric tube (NGT) placement using a cadaveric model. Methods: Nine emergency medicine (EM) residents evaluated NGT placement in torso cadavers using both auscultation and ultrasonography (B-mode and Doppler). Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and inter-observer agreement (Cohen’s κ) were calculated. Results: Among 72 NGT placements, auscultation had a sensitivity of 86.1% and specificity of 97.2%, while USG achieved 88.9% sensitivity and 91.7% specificity. Cohen’s κ indicated substantial agreement for auscultation (κ = 0.75) and almost perfect agreement for USG (κ = 0.86). Conclusion: Ultrasonography demonstrates high diagnostic accuracy and interobserver reliability, making it a viable alternative to radiographic confirmation, particularly when X-ray is unavailable or infeasible.