Edi Catheter (NOT MRI SAFE)

Edi (Electrical activity of the diaphragm) catheters are nasogastric or orogastric catheters that estimate the neural respiratory drive and send that information to the mechanical ventilator. The ventilator uses that information to control respiration, guided by the patient's own neural control of breathing. This concept is called Neurally Adjusted Ventilatory Assist or NAVA).

The sensor part of the Edi Catheter is positioned in the esophagus at the level of the diaphragm (video on placement of the catheter). The Edi catheter from Maquete can also act as a normal nasogastric feeding tube and has a barium sulfate strip for identification on x-rays, but you wouldn't recognize it as anything other than a normal NG or OG tube unless you recognize that it looks different from the rest of the catheters used in your institution.

The above is kind of important because the catheter is NOT CONSIDERED SAFE FOR MRI.

References

Stein H, Hall R, Davis K, White DB. Electrical activity of the diaphragm (Edi) values and Edi catheter placement in non-ventilated preterm neonates. J Perinatol. 2013 Sep;33(9):707-11.