The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has recently recommended the use of pH specific paper to test gastric aspirates instead of the traditional litmus paper in order to reduce harm caused by misplaced nasogastric feeding tubes.¹

Eleven deaths and one case of serious harm over a two year period have been recorded. The evidence base is predominantly from adult studies, which show that the conventional methods including litmus paper and auscultation to check the placement of oro/nasogastric tubes can …