Enteral Access Technologies Expands DoubleCHEK™ as Hospitals Adopt Safer NG Tube Placement Device

Enteral Access Technologies (E.A.T), the UK-based medical device innovator behind DoubleCHEK™, is scaling worldwide after securing new backing from the British Design Fund, reinforcing its mission to make nasogastric tube placement safer, faster and more reliable across all clinical environments.

A Simple Device Tackling One of Healthcare’s Most Persistent Risks

Nasogastric (NG) feeding tubes are vital in emergency, critical care, pediatrics and post-surgical recovery. Yet misplacement remains a serious and surprisingly common issue, one that can lead to aspiration, lung injury and in rare cases, death. Traditional confirmation methods such as X-ray create delays, expose patients to unnecessary radiation and strain hospital workflows.

Enteral Access Technologies was built to solve this problem at its root. Its flagship solution, DoubleCHEK™, is a compact, low-cost, dual-indicator device that empowers clinicians to verify NG tube placement immediately at the bedside, without specialized equipment and without waiting for radiology.

By combining CO₂ detection (confirming the tube is not in the airway) and pH indication (confirming gastric placement), the device gives a straightforward, two-layer safety check that aligns with global clinical best practices. Today, DoubleCHEK™ is already in use across the UK, the United States and multiple EU healthcare systems, with traction growing rapidly.

Funding from the British Design Fund Signals Strong Market Confidence

Recent investment from the British Design Fund marks another milestone in the company’s acceleration and validates its approach to solving a long-standing medical challenge.

The fund backs early-stage UK product companies with a strong design ethos and high-impact potential making DoubleCHEK™ a natural fit. Enteral Access Technologies (E.A.T) says the capital will help expand production, scale global distribution and support clinical adoption across new markets. This is especially timely as hospitals continue facing staffing shortages, increasing patient loads and pressure to reduce unnecessary procedures, including diagnostic imaging.

Why Misplacement Still Happens and Why DoubleCHEK™ Matters ?

Misplaced NG tubes often occur because clinicians lack real-time confirmation tools that are affordable, compatible with all tube sizes, accurate in detecting lung placement and usable before full insertion.

According to Enteral Access Technologies (E.A.T), current technologies often fall short in one or more of these categories, leaving clinicians to rely on less reliable or slower methods.

DoubleCHEK™ changes that by delivering:

• Real-time CO₂ screening: A colorimetric indicator alerts clinicians immediately if the tube enters the airway.
• Gastric pH confirmation: Once in position, clinicians verify placement through pH change, a global standard in NG tube confirmation.
• Universal compatibility: The device works with standard nasogastric and orogastric tubes, eliminating the need for proprietary equipment.
• Radiation-free workflows: Reducing reliance on X-ray alleviates bottlenecks in busy hospitals and eliminates repeat imaging.
• Low-cost accessibility: Its simplicity ensures that even under-resourced or emergency settings can improve safety outcomes.

The result is a smoother, safer NG tube workflow, from emergency rooms to ambulances to long-term care.

A Device Born from Personal Experience

E.A.T’s story is deeply personal as well. Not just an engineering innovation.

Founder and CEO George Gallagher was born with a trachea-oesophageal fistula, a rare condition where the esophagus and trachea are fused. As a newborn, he required major surgery and relied on a nasogastric tube for nutrition during a long and fragile recovery.

For Gallagher, that tube was quite literally life-saving and it fueled a lifelong curiosity about how such tubes are placed safely, and why so many complications still occur. Years later, as an engineer and entrepreneur, he set out to design a device that would make NG placement safer for every patient, not just fortunate ones. And DoubleCHEK™ is the result of that mission, a device inspired by lived experience, refined through rigorous testing and now adopted across major healthcare systems.

DoubleCHEK™ is Clinically Grounded and Globally Relevant

Enteral Access Technologies is an ISO 13485–certified manufacturer, ensuring compliance with the highest medical device standards. DoubleCHEK™ also carries the UKCA mark and is already incorporated into workflows across the NHS.

Its expansion into US and EU hospitals reflects growing international recognition of NG tube safety challenges and a need for more reliable, repeatable confirmation tools, especially in high-pressure and resource-limited settings.

The Market Need: A Global Push for Safer Enteral Access

NG tubes are among the most frequently inserted medical devices worldwide used for nutrition, decompression, medication administration and more. And yet despite their ubiquity, misplacement events remain an ongoing threat:

• They can cause pneumothorax, aspiration or failed feeding.
• They require high clinical vigilance.
• X-ray confirmation creates delays and workflow friction.

With healthcare systems increasingly emphasizing patient safety, rapid workflows and radiation-free verification, DoubleCHEK™ enters the market at a pivotal moment.

Looking Ahead: Scaling a New Standard in Bedside Safety

With growing adoption and new investment, Enteral Access Technologies is preparing to expand DoubleCHEK™ into:

• More NHS Trusts
• Additional US hospital networks
• European emergency and critical-care settings
• Military, aeromedical and remote-care environments

As E.A.T puts it: DoubleCHEK™ was designed to save lives simply, reliably and everywhere it’s needed.