In our modern world of electronic devices and chargers, we often find ourselves asking, “Why can’t I find the charging cable I need?” Whether it’s one of the constantly changing USB connectors or some other company’s proprietary design, we are left craving some form of standardization.
You would think in the realm of medical equipment that consistency would be one of the top priorities, but medical devices are no different from our world of electronic devices. The healthcare field is filled with hundreds of manufacturers producing various devices and connectors to attach to patients and machines. This becomes problematic as tubing misconnections can cause serious safety events. Luckily, with the support of some of these manufacturers, healthcare facilities, and professional and regulatory groups, a standard has been created in some cases to ensure the highest level of consistent safety. For example, with enteral feeding this support from organized providers has resulted in the creation of the ENFit® design. It is a reverse luer-lock designed specifically for use in enteral feeds.
You may have noticed over the past year that at Cincinnati Children’s we have been changing our feeding tubes to follow these new national guidelines and to help perpetuate this movement of standardization across the world of medicine.
So, the next time your child is coming to the Radiology Department to get a feeding tube placed or exchanged, make sure to ask your friendly radiologist or technologist for the appropriate adaptors and cleaners to take home; they may have changed from the ones you’ve used in the past. In the future, we will continue to meet top consistency standards and pave the way for a better healthcare outcome for you and your family.
For more information, visit stayconnected.org/enteral-enfit/
Dr. Andrew Sung, author; Tony Dandino, editor; Meredith Towbin, copyeditor
