Comparing the Assessment Accuracy Between Submental Ultrasound and Speech Therapists in Nasogastric Tube Removal

Launched by NATIONAL TAIWAN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL · Mar 10, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This study is testing whether a quick ultrasound test under the chin (submental ultrasound) can be as accurate as a speech-language pathologist’s hands-on swallowing assessment for deciding when to remove a nasogastric (NG) tube in adults with swallow problems after an acute illness. It’s a randomized trial, meaning people are assigned by chance to either the ultrasound-guided approach or the usual SLP assessment, and neither participants nor the care team will know which method is being used. The main question is whether the ultrasound method is just as good at guiding safe NG-tube removal, with outcomes they’ll watch over about 8 weeks, including whether the tube can be removed, safety during swallowing, and changes seen on the ultrasound (such as how much the hyoid bone moves).

Who can join: adults aged 18 and older who currently have an NG tube placed due to an acute condition and no longer need the tube after treatment. People are not eligible if they are unconscious, already have a long-term NG tube, need high-flow oxygen or ventilation, have heavy drooling or frequent aspiration, or have had surgery or radiation to the head/neck. The trial is at National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei and plans to enroll about 150 participants. If you participate, you’ll be randomly assigned to the SUS group or the SLP group and will follow feeding and tube-removal plans based on your group’s assessment, with follow-up assessments including safety, swallowing ability, and a simple scale of oral eating (FOIS).

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Adults aged 18 and above
• • Patients using a nasogastric tube
• • Patients with a nasogastric tube placed due to acute conditions, such as increased oxygen demand, temporary loss of consciousness, or other illnesses causing weakness and a risk of aspiration. After treatment, there is no longer any indication for continued nasogastric tube placement.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Patients with impaired consciousness
• • Patients with long-term nasogastric tube placement
• • Patients requiring a high-concentration oxygen mask or mechanical ventilation with intubation
• • Patients with significant drooling or frequent aspiration of saliva
• • Patients who have undergone oral or head and neck surgery
• • Patients who have received radiation therapy for the head and neck