Feasibility Test of Three Dimensional Intermittent Oro-Esophageal Tube Guide for Dysphagia; Biocompatibility and Pilot Case Study

Background: In our previous study, oropharyngeal airway was beneficially tested as insertion guide of intermittent oro-esophageal (IOE) tube for feeding of dysphagia patients. As advanced investigation, patient-customized tube guide was designed based on a soft neck radiography image of the patient, and fabricated using three-dimensional printer with polylactic acid (PLA). Methods: Before clinical trial of the 3D-printed tube-guide, biocompatibility of the 3D-printed PLA plate is tested. The biocompatible tube guide was tried on three consenting subjects. Results: Despite its small cohort size, the customized tube-guide group spent less time in the insertion of the IOE tube than the only IOE tube group. Conclusion: This tendency increases feasibility of the customized IOE tube. We are still recruiting subjects for statistical significance of our trial. (C) 2018 AGBM. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.