• Naoi Tsurumachi, Shunsuke Saima, Tomoyuki Saito, Takashi Asai, and Yasuhisa Okuda.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Dokkyo Medical University Saitama Medical Center, 2-1-50 Minamikoshigaya, Koshigaya, Saitama, 343-8555, Japan. naoi-t@dokkyomed.ac.jp.
• J Anesth. 2023 Apr 1; 37 (2): 242247242-247.

PurposeWe studied whether a newly available gastric tube insertion guide (Fuji Medical, Tokyo, Japan) was effective in insertion of a nasogastric tube.MethodsSixty anesthetized patients were randomly allocated to three groups, and we attempted to insert a nasogastric tube with a blind technique (Group B), with the lateral neck pressure (Group L), or with the tube guide (Group G). If the insertion failed in Group B or L, its insertion was attempted with the tube guide. Primary outcome measure was the insertion success rate within 300 s.ResultsThe success rate in Group G (19 of 20 patients) was significantly higher than Group L (13 of 20 patients) (P = 0.04; 95% confidence intervals for difference: 16-44%), and than Group B (11 of 19 patients) (P = 0.008; 23-50%). In the 15 patients of Groups B and L, in whom insertion had failed, insertion with the tube guide was successful in 14 patients. There was no significant difference in insertion time between the groups, but in patients in whom insertion was successful, it was significantly longer in Group G (median of 147 s) than in Group L (66 s) (P < 0.01) and Group B (46 s) (P < 0.01). Minor complications occurred in 2 patients in Group B, 1 in Group L, and 5 in Group G (P > 0.05).ConclusionWe conclude that the gastric tube insertion guide (Fuji Medical, Tokyo, Japan) may be useful when the conventional method of insertion has failed.© 2022. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Japanese Society of Anesthesiologists.

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