Reduced incidence of feeding tube dislodgement and missed feeds in burn patients with nasal bridle securement.

INTRODUCTION: Feeding tubes in burn patients are at high risk for becoming dislodged as traditional tape securement does not adhere well to sloughed skin, resulting in nutrition delivery disruption and placing patients at increased risk for iatrogenic injury upon reinsertion.

METHODS: Seventy-four patients admitted to our regional burn center requiring nasoenteric nutritional support were prospectively followed. Fourty-one patients received a nasal bridle while thirty-three received traditional tape and elastic dressings. Primary outcomes centered on measuring clinical efficacy of the nasal bridle system.

RESULTS: Conventional tape-secured feeding tubes were dislodged more frequently (0.9±0.2 times per 10 feeding days vs. 0.2±0.1 times per 10 feeding days; p=0.005). Nasal bridle secured tubes showed significantly longer functional life on Kaplan Meier analysis (hazard ratio 0.35; p=0.01). Fewer abdominal x-ray studies were performed to confirm tube placement in nasal bridle patients (1.48±0.13 for nasal bridle vs. 2.21±0.21 for conventional tape-secured; p=0.003). Overall, patients with bridle securement had fewer hours of missed enteric feeds (2.51±0.95hours vs. 6.72±2.07hours; p=0.05). Importantly, utilization of a nasal bridle decreased overall estimated costs for enteric feeding management ($1,379.72±120.70 vs. $1,107.66±63.95; p=0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Utilization of a nasal bridle system provides a reliable method for securement of nasoenteric feeding tubes with clinical benefits in the burn patient population.