MINNEAPOLIS (November 15, 2022) — Allina Health’s Abbott Northwestern Hospital is the first healthcare facility in Minnesota to use a new innovative procedure to support feeding patients in its intensive care units (ICU). In August, Abbott Northwestern started performing percutaneous ultrasound gastrostomies (PUG), a technique using a new medical device created by CoapTech that allows ultrasound-trained providers to place gastrostomy tubes (G-tubes) in patients using only ultrasound guidance with CoapTech’s PUMA-G device..
Since its launch, Abbott Northwestern Hospital has successfully implemented this minimally invasive approach in at least 7 patients in its intensive care unit. Until now, when a patient was unable to eat or swallow long-term, a G-tube was placed by a general surgeon requiring consultation, scheduling the procedure plus support and equipment from endoscopy services.
“The PUG safely and quickly simplifies the process of placing a feeding tube while eliminating the need for additional equipment and a general surgeon,” said Joshua Huelster, MD an intensivist in Abbott Northwestern Hospital’s intensive care unit. “It simplifies and speeds up the process of placing a feeding tube providing more efficient care for a patient in need of long-term enteral nutrition.”
The PUMA-G device combines magnetic attraction and ultrasound imaging to create a visualization for real-time clinician feedback, resulting in a safer and more effective minimally invasive procedure that can be performed bedside for the placement of a feeding tube. Bedside placement in the ICU by an Intensive Care Specialist facilitates shorter ICU stays and more efficient care for critically ill patients.
Allina Health is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of illness and enhancing the greater health of individuals, families and communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. A nonprofit health care system, Allina Health cares for patients from beginning to end-of-life through its 90+ clinics, 12 hospital campuses, 14 retail pharmacies, and many specialty care centers and specialty medical services, home care, and emergency medical transportation services. Learn more at allinahealth.org and join us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.