What is already known about the topic?
There are multiple reports of death and harm caused by
misplacement of nasogastric feeding tubes.
pH testing should be used as a first line bedside method
but the auscultatory method, although proven unreliable,
is still widely practiced.
What this paper adds
Aspirates from initially placed nasogastric tubes with a
pH of 5.5 are reliable to differentiate if the tube is in or
outside the stomach but this does not completely rule
out oesophageal placement.
Int