P4.A015: Usability of a Novel Gastrostomy Tube Anchor Dressing

Background: Gastrostomy tubes are a source of discomfort and morbidity in the pediatric population with reported complication rates as high as 29-58% for development of granulation tissue and 18-28% for dislodgement resulting in associated emergency department visits. We developed a low-profile, low-cost dressing designed to gently anchor the gastrostomy tube and reduce its movement while still providing access to the feeding port and capturing drainage. We hypothesized that this dressing would be well-accepted by parents and nursing staff caring for pediatric patients with new gastrostomy tubes.

Methods: In this IRB-approved single-institution study, 22 pediatric patients aged 16 days to 11 years undergoing gastrostomy tube placement with MiniONE Balloon Button gastrostomy tubes (Applied Medical Technology) or low-profile MIC-KEY low-profile gastrostomy feeding tubes (Avanos Medical Devices) had novel tube anchor dressings applied in the early post-operative period. Nurses and patients/parents were educated on use of the dressing with a brief demonstration and optional short reference video. The 30-item USE (Usefulness, Satisfaction, and Ease of use) Questionnaire was administered to nurses and parents to evaluate the dressing with respect to four dimensions: usefulness, ease of use, ease of learning, and satisfaction. Respondents ranked statements on a 7-point Likert scale where 1 is ‘strongly disagree’ and 7 is ‘strongly agree’ with an N/A option available.

Results: 22 patients with gastrostomy tubes were enrolled. Parents (n=10) and nurses (n=17) reported overall high scores (i.e. rated the statement either a 6 or 7 on the 7-point Likert scale) for usefulness (79% parents, 60% nurses), ease of use (77% parents, 68% nurses), ease of learning (78% parents, 85% nurses) and satisfaction (76% parents, 64% nurses). 96% of respondents rated 6 or 7 for the statement “it is useful” and 85% of respondents rated 6 or 7 for the statements “I learned to use it quickly” and “It does everything I would expect it to do”.

Conclusion: We developed a low-profile, low-cost dressing to gently anchor gastrostomy tubes in the early post-operative period. Nursing staff and parents rated this dressing highly in terms of usefulness and ease of use and reported high levels of satisfaction when using it to secure pediatric gastrostomy tubes.