Abstract
Continuous monitoring in the intensive care setting has transformed the capacity to rapidly respond with interventions for patients in extremis. Noninvasive monitoring has generally been limited to transdermal or intravascular systems coupled to transducers including oxygen saturation or pressure. Here it is hypothesized that gastric fluid (GF) and gases, accessible through nasogastric (NG) tubes, commonly found in intensive care settings, can provide continuous access to a broad range of biomarkers. A broad characterization of biomarkers in swine GF coupled to time-matched serum is conducted . The relationship and kinetics of GF-derived analyte level dynamics is established by correlating these to serum levels in an acute renal failure and an inducible stress model performed in swine. The ability to monitor ketone levels and an inhaled anaesthetic agent (isoflurane) in vivo is demonstrated with novel NG-compatible sensor systems in swine. Gastric access remains a main stay in the care of the critically ill patient, and here the potential is established to harness this establishes route for analyte evaluation for clinical management.