London researchers have become the first in the world to use a new method of inserting feeding tubes that aims to improve patient care.
A team of clinician-researchers from Lawson Health Research Institute has partnered with the medical device company CoapTech LLC to study the effectiveness of the PUMA-G System.
“The technique basically just uses magnets and a balloon. It’s a very straightforward technology to understand, but it has a huge benefit,” said Dr. Derek Cool, one of the researches involved in testing the product and studying its effectiveness.
With the new technique, doctors can complete the entire feeding-tube procedure with ultrasound and do not require the use of an X-ray machine or camera.
“That allows us to do our feeding tube insertion while leaving these endoscopy and fluoroscopy suites open for treating other patients with a critical illness that requires that technology,” Cool said.
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Cool said an added benefit is that patients can stay in their rooms for the treatment, which makes it easier for those in critical care.
Feeding tubes, also called gastrostomy tubes, are used to help patients who cannot maintain adequate nutrition because they are unable to swallow. They can be valuable in the treatment and recovery of conditions like cancer, stroke and trauma.
The procedure was first tried in October 2018 on a patient named Sonny McGlone. Sonny, a 76-year-old man from Sarnia, Ont., was being treated with radiation therapy for head and neck cancer.
“I had seven weeks of radiation, which killed my taste buds. I couldn’t swallow or eat and I was rapidly losing weight,” McGlone explained. “I was pleasantly surprised by the feeding tube procedure. While the tube was obviously inconvenient, it was a lifesaver.”
Since then, it has been used to treat 25 other patients in London.
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