System for percutaneous drainage of a drainage site includes a catheter, a drain tube, a first pump, a flush tube, a second pump, and a controller. The catheter includes a drain lumen defined by a first portion of a catheter wall and a septum, and a flush lumen defined by a second portion of the catheter wall and the septum. The flush lumen is separated from the drain lumen by the septum. The septum has at least one septal hole disposed therein such that the drain lumen and the flush lumen are in communication via the at least one septal hole. The catheter wall has at least one wall hole disposed therein such that the drain lumen is in communication with the drainage site when the distal end portion of the catheter is placed within the drainage site.

Gastric and intestinal feeding tube devices and methods can be enhanced to provide better patient outcomes. For example, this document provides gastric and intestinal feeding tube devices that include an external bumper with pressure sensors and pressure indicators that facilitate usage of the feeding tube devices within an appropriate range of skin surface pressure. This document also provides external bumpers with deflectable elements that facilitate the application of a controlled amount of force between the external bumpers and the skin surface.

A medical device position guidance system includes a plurality of noninvasive external detector devices communicable with an invasive medical device. A magnetic field is used to gather information about the anatomical size and shape of a subject, such as a human. The medical device position guidance system further uses the magnetic field to obtain information about the positioning of the invasive medical device relative to the subject's anatomy. A method of using the medical device position guidance system is also provided.

A catheter sensor assembly for use in conjunction with electronic catheter guidance systems is provided and includes a catheter and a sensor. The catheter extends in a longitudinal direction and has a proximal end and a distal end that define a lumen therebetween. Further, the catheter is configured for placement within a digestive tract or respiratory tract of a patient. The sensor includes a carbon dioxide sensor, pressure sensor, or both, and can be located in an air sampling chamber connected to the catheter. The sensor can communicate with a processor to deliver carbon dioxide and/or pressure readings to a display device, which can indicate placement of the catheter in the digestive tract or in the respiratory tract. A catheter guidance system and a method for accurately placing a is also provided.

A feeding tube with an inflatable balloon component and at least one of (1) a carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) sampling line, (2) a suction tube component, (3) a pH sensor, and (4) an electromagnetic sensor is disclosed. A kit containing the feeding tubing and at least one of (1) a carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) sampling line, (2) a suction tube component, (3) a pH sensor, and (4) an electromagnetic sensor, and a method for intubating a patient to deliver the feeding tube to a desired location for delivering nutrients and/or medication to the patient are also disclosed.

A butyric acid detection based platform for verifying placement of a patient airway device or a gastric tube comprising at least one of i) a colorimetric based butyric acid detection platform, ii) a bioelectronic sensors based butyric acid detection platform using olfactory receptors, and iii) an IR based butyric acid detection platform. Each platform comprises a housing coupled to the patient airway device or gastric tube whereby flow from the coupled patient airway device or a gastric tube can flow through an internal passage of the housing; and wherein sensors within the housing come into contact with the flow from the coupled patient airway device or a gastric tube, the sensors including at least one of a chemical sensor array including at least one of i) colorimetric based butyric acid sensor, ii) a bioelectronic butyric acid detection sensor using olfactory receptors, and iii) an IR based butyric acid sensor.

There is provided an apparatus (100) for monitoring swallowing in a subject. The apparatus (100) comprises a processor (102) configured to acquire, from a motion sensor (104), motion signals obtained from a feeding tube, when placed in the esophagus of the subject. The motion signals are indicative of swallowing motions transmitted along the feeding tube. The processor (102) is also configured to process the acquired motion signals to classify the acquired motion signals as indicative of the subject swallowing healthily or unhealthily.

There is provided herein a system and a method for an insertion device positioning guidance system comprising: an electromagnetic field generator configured to generate an electromagnetic field covering a treatment area; a plate sensor configured to be positioned within the treatment area in a location defining an orientation of a subject; a reference sensor configured to be positioned, within the treatment area, on the subject's torso, the reference sensor is configured to define a reference coordinate system representing the position and orientation of the subject's torso relative to said field generator; a registration sensor configured to mark at least a first and a second anatomic locations relative to the reference coordinate system; and a processor configured to operate said field generator, read signals obtained from said the plate sensor, said reference sensor and said registration sensor, calculate a position and orientation thereof relative to said field generator, generate a 3D anatomic map representing the torso of the subject and the first and second anatomic locations, said processor is further configured to facilitate visualization on the 3D anatomic map of a position, orientation and/or path of a tip sensor, located in a distal tip section of the insertion device, with respect to the first and second anatomic locations, independent of the subject's movement and independent of deviations in the position and/or orientation of said field generator, thus determination of a successful medical procedure is facilitated.

Disclosed is an NGT system, the system comprises a nasogastric tube having a diameter and length configured to pass through an esophagus such that the lumen of the NGT maintains fluid communication with a portion of the digestive tract, and a digestive tract sensor operatively associated with the NGT, the digestive tract sensor configured to sense from inside the body and transmit signals in response to one or both of conditions relating to nourishment states of the digestive tract, and positioning of the NGT.

A system (100) for artificially feeding a patient, comprising: a pressure sensor (114) fluidly connectable to an inflatable balloon (B) via a first lumen of a balloon catheter (130); a controller (110) operatively connected to the pressure sensor (114) for obtaining the measured pressure values; a food pump (112) fluidly connectable to a second lumen of the balloon catheter having at lea st one opening (132) for providing food; the controller (110) operatively connected to the food pump (112) for driving the food pump at a configurable flow rate; wherein the controller (110) contains computer executable instructions comprising: first code fragments for performing a first algorithm (1300) for extracting gastric motility information from the measured pressure values, and second code fragments for performing a second algorithm for dynamically adjusting (708) said flow rate based on said extracted gastric motility information.