Project Description:

Gastroenterologists have difficulties placing nasojejunal, or NJ, tubes due to a lack of specialized tools and standardized methods. NJ tubes are placed in the small bowel, rather than the stomach, demanding significantly more precision than a typical feeding tube. With over 1.2 million NJ tube placements every year in the U.S., gastroenterologists have started to use endoscopes with a camera at the tip. This allows for visualization of the gastrointestinal tract to guide the tube through the patient. With the lack of specialized tools to grasp and guide the tube for these endoscopically guided procedures, gastroenterologists use make-shift methods with available instruments, such as hemostatic clips and biopsy forceps, meant for different procedures. This often causes the tube to fall behind the endoscope’s visibility range or lose connection with the feeding tube in the body, requiring physicians to completely restart the procedure. EndoGrip is a type of curved forceps that allows for efficient grasping and guidance of NJ tubes. EndoGrip can provide visualization of the feeding tube within the 140º view of the endoscope camera. It can also withstand an axial force of up to 11.2 Newtons, double the force required to place feeding tubes of 5 N. EndoGrip can place NJ tubes on the first attempt, significantly reducing patient discomfort and procedure times and revolutionizing endoscopic small bowel feeding tube placements.