Abstract: Pediatric POCUS: G-Tube Confirmation

Point-of-care ultrasound for confirmation of gastrostomy tube replacement in the pediatric emergency department

Source: Internal and Emergency Medicine. Published: 05 March, 2020

Gastrostomy tubes (G-tubes) are frequently used in children for feeding and nutrition and their replacement is usually performed by pediatric emergency medicine physicians.

Traditionally, x-ray with contrast enhancement is used for confirmation of tube G-tube position. This technique, however, is associated with longer length-of-stay, repeat ED visits result in frequent radiation exposure.

In this paper the authors describe three patients who presented with G-tube complications. The tubes’ replacement was done by the pediatricians using POCUS alone to confirm proper tube positioning.

Using POCUS instead of radiography may potentially avoid exposure to ionizing radiation in pediatric patient population.

The authors concluded that this may be a feasible approach, but further prospective studies are needed to evaluate the learning curves, diagnostic accuracy, ED length-of-stay, and use of confirmatory imaging.