Nuno Silva, a master’s student in Biomedical Engineering and Biophysics of FCUL, studying at the Translational Medical Device Lab of the National University of Ireland in Galway under an Erasmus + fellowship, won together with colleague Eoghan Dunne the Innovation Award of Explore Competition.
The awarded project allows for a simple, quick and effective way to anatomically detect the correct position of the nasogastric probe, feeding the patient more quickly and without the need for x-rays. With this innovative solution, it is possible to improve the health and well-being of patients, while improving the national health system. Nuno Silva and Eoghan Dunne were supervised by Martin O’Halloran and Laura Farina from the host institution.
Placing a nasogastric tube may reveal serious pathological problems when it is accidentally introduced into the airway rather than the stomach. Two types of checking are currently recommended to correctly know where the nasogastric tube has been introduced: a pH test can be performed on a portion of fluid aspirated by the probe; performing a radiography checks the position of the probe. In both tests, patients need to wait several hours until the correct location of the nasogastric tube is confirmed. Both tests represent great costs for the national health system due to the resources used and the time lost by professionals to confirm the position of the probe.
Text by DF Ciências and ACI Ciências
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