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pH Perfect

Nasogastric Tube Placement Verification

 

Member profile details

Membership level
2021-2022 Team
Project Thumbnail Image
Team Name
pH Perfect
Project Title
Nasogastric Tube Placement Verification
Design Challenge
Nasogastric tubes (NG tubes) are commonly used for enteral nutrition of preterm infants who cannot properly nurse from their mothers. However, incorrect placement or migration of the NG tube outside of the stomach can result in severe complications such as pulmonary aspiration, pneumothorax, or even death if these infants are fed through the misplaced tube. As such, NG tube placement verification must be performed before each feed, which occurs 8 to 12 times per day. This misplacement problem is especially serious for premature newborns in low-income countries such as Malawi, where hospitals are often understaffed. To relieve the strain on nurses, our device will be intuitive for mothers to use. Additionally, these units do not have sufficient access to quantitative, reliable verification methods for confirming NG tube placement prior to each feed. To reduce the mortality rates associated with improper NG tube placement for preterm infants in low-income countries like Malawi, we will design a reusable, cost-effective, and intuitive means of measuring pH to verify NG tube placement before each feed.
Date Updated
Tuesday, May 03, 2022
Department(s)
  • Global Health Technologies
  • Bioengineering
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Team Members

Award(s) and Recognition
2022 George R. Brown Engineering Design Showcase: Excellence in Underclassman or Club Engineering Design Award
Media Links
Video of pH Pal Use: https://youtu.be/doPPjCu0cGU
Team Type
Underclassman Design
 

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Contact us

Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen
Rice University

6100 Main Street MS 390 | Houston, Texas | 77005

Phone: 713.348.OEDK

Email: oedk@rice.edu

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