An Investigation of Ultrasonography as a Method for Determining Orogastric Tube Placement in Newborns

Objectives: This study seeks to evaluate the precision of ultrasonography in confirming orogastric tube placement among neonates in a Chinese neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods: Radiological assessments initially gauged tube placement, followed by confirmation through ultrasonography. The agreement between the two methods was assessed using Cohen's kappa statistic, while diagnostic performance was analyzed through sensitivity and specificity calculations. Results: Out of 156 orogastric tubes, 85.3% were accurately placed in the stomach according to radiological assessment, with ultrasonography confirming 88.5% of stomach placements. Accuracy rates were 67.3% for radiological evaluation and 60.3% for ultrasonography in determining the accurate position. The agreement assessment demonstrated a sensitivity of 68.6% and a specificity of 46.3%. Conclusions: While ultrasonography shows promise in reliably verifying orogastric tube placement in newborns, it does not entirely substitute current radiological assessments. Further research is essential to discern the optimal clinical utility of ultrasonography.