Nelaton catheter assisted versus standard nasogastric tube insertion: a randomized, clinical trial

It is sometimes difficult to insert a nasogastric tube in an anaesthetized patient. We evaluated the benefit of reinforcing the distal portion of the nasogastric tube with a Nelaton catheter: 8 and 10 French Nelaton catheters were inserted into 16 and 18 French nasogastric tubes respectively through the first proximal holes of tubes up to their tips. The patients anaesthetized were randomly allocated into either the control or the Nelaton groups, and nasogastric tube was inserted as deeply as the catheter length, then the catheter was withdrawn and the tube was inserted farther to reach the stomach. Eighty patients (40 in each group) were included in this study. The success rate of nasogastric tube insertion was 90% in the Nelaton group and 57% in the control group (P = 0.001). The mean insertion time was 80 (SD 43) and 92 (SD 35) seconds in the Nelaton and the control groups respectively.