Background: 

Placement of gastric tubes is commonly performed in infants and children but malpositioning is common and is associated with significant complications.

Objective: 

The aim of this systematic review is to identify the evidence on the use of ultrasound to verify correct gastric tube placement in infants and children and gaps in the research.

Methods: 

This review was performed using CINAHL, PUBMED, EMBASE and Web of Science databases. Studies were included if they used an empirical study design, were published in English, included infants or children, and evaluated the use of ultrasound to verify correct gastric tube placement compared to radiograph. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were evaluated.

Results: 

Four articles were included in the review. Sensitivity estimates were 0.88 to 1.00 and a positive predictive value of 0.99 was reported in one study. Specificity was not reported in any of the included studies. Ultrasound may be an important method to correctly identify gastric tube placement in infants and children with less radiation exposure and cost.

Implications for Practice: 

Ultrasound could be a used to verify gastric tube positioning in infants and children for both initial placement and continued verification leading to reduced radiation exposure and cost.

Implications for Research: 

Research should focus on evaluating ultrasound specificity and the clinical feasibility of using ultrasound as a standard practice, including cost and time required to complete the exam, as well as the ability of ultrasound to verify gastric tube placement in infants weighing less than 1500 grams.

中文翻译：

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超声检查婴儿和儿童胃管位置：系统评价

背景： 

胃管的放置通常在婴儿和儿童中进行，但位置不当很常见，并且与严重的并发症有关。

客观的： 

本系统评价的目的是确定使用超声检查婴儿和儿童正确放置胃管的证据以及研究中的空白。

方法： 

这篇综述是使用 CINAHL、PUBMED、EMBASE 和 Web of Science 数据库进行的。如果研究使用实证研究设计，以英文发表，包括婴儿或儿童，并评估使用超声波与 X 光片相比较来验证正确的胃管放置，则研究被包括在内。评估了敏感性、特异性、阳性和阴性预测值。

结果： 

四篇文章被纳入审查。敏感性估计值为 0.88 至 1.00，一项研究报告的阳性预测值为 0.99。任何纳入的研究均未报告特异性。超声可能是正确识别婴儿和儿童胃管放置的重要方法，辐射暴露和成本较低。

实践意义： 

超声波可用于验证婴儿和儿童的胃管定位，用于初始放置和持续验证，从而减少辐射暴露和成本。

研究意义： 

研究应侧重于评估超声特异性和使用超声作为标准实践的临床可行性，包括完成检查所需的成本和时间，以及超声验证体重小于 1500 克的婴儿胃管放置的能力。