Avanos CORTRAK* 2 Enteral Access System gives hospitals tighter control over feeding tube placement

Avanos CORTRAK* 2 Enteral Access System targets safer, faster feeding tube placement for hospitals facing ICU pressure and staffing gaps.

Avanos CORTRAK* 2 Enteral Access System gives hospitals tighter control over feeding tube placement

By John Miller, ad-hoc-news, June 16, 2026

The Avanos CORTRAK* 2 Enteral Access System is positioning itself as a go-to new release for hospitals that need more reliable feeding tube placement without waiting for radiology. For ICU teams under constant time pressure, the system aims to turn a risky procedure into a more controlled workflow.

New release tuned for overstretched critical care units

If you run an ICU or high dependency ward, you probably feel every delayed X-ray in your throughput numbers. Each time a feeding tube placement queues for confirmation, your nurses and physicians hold their breath, hoping the tip did not migrate where it should not.

The Avanos CORTRAK* 2 Enteral Access System is designed to cut some of that uncertainty by giving real time guidance as the tube advances. Instead of relying only on anatomical landmarks and experience, staff see a track of the tube’s path on the display.

Reducing blind placements and shortening confirmation loops

For hospitals facing staffing gaps, blind placements that later fail are not just clinical setbacks. They drain morale and extend procedure times. CORTRAK* 2 aims to lower that failure rate and, in many workflows, reduce how often teams request confirmatory imaging.

The system uses an electromagnetic transmitter within the special feeding tube and a sensor array in the receiver. During placement, the screen shows the tube’s course relative to chest and abdomen, helping users avoid the airway and better target gastric or post pyloric positions.

For a unit manager calculating overtime, the appeal is straightforward. Fewer repeat attempts, fewer X-ray bottlenecks and more predictable procedure duration free capacity both for nurses and for radiology, which often runs on its own thin staffing margin.

How Avanos positions CORTRAK* 2 in a safety focused portfolio

Avanos has built much of its profile around enteral feeding and respiratory health products. With CORTRAK* 2, the company pushes deeper into the moment where risk and workflow intersect: the seconds when a tube either goes to the stomach or misdirects toward the lung.

Hospital quality teams increasingly track never events and serious reportable incidents. Tube misplacements sit high on that list because the consequences can be catastrophic. A guidance system that allows bedside teams to verify trajectory could help hospitals demonstrate concrete risk reduction steps.

Avanos Medical Inc., traded under the ticker NYSE:AVNS with ISIN US05350V1061, is working in a competitive space where medtech firms court hospitals that demand both safety gains and economic justification. CORTRAK* 2 is marketed into that conversation as a tool that may reduce downstream complications and associated costs.

Training, adoption curve and practical bedside integration

Any new device lives or dies on how easily your staff can weave it into existing routines. Avanos promotes CORTRAK* 2 with a training concept designed for busy shift patterns. Short, scenario based sessions and in service support aim to get nurses comfortable without monopolizing education days.

Because the system uses dedicated tubes instead of standard feeding lines, procurement teams will focus on ongoing consumable costs. The argument from the manufacturer is that avoided complications, reduced chest X-rays and shorter placement times can offset that premium over the life of the system.

For hospitals driving digital documentation, another angle is data. Procedure logs and placement reports generated or supported by systems like CORTRAK* 2 can help quality departments analyze trends, document adherence to protocols and respond to external audits with more granular evidence.

Where CORTRAK* 2 may fit in your investment roadmap

Capital committees balancing robotics, imaging and core patient monitoring might view a feeding tube placement system as less headline grabbing. Yet for your ICU leads and nutrition support teams, it touches a daily pain point. Malnutrition risk and aspiration risk converge at enteral access.

If your organisation has recently tightened policies around X-ray use or is under pressure to shorten length of stay, the value case becomes clearer. Each successfully placed and initiated feeding line supports earlier nutrition, which can influence recovery trajectories and overall patient stability.

Given that reimbursement structures often reward reduction of complications rather than headline novelty, technologies that quietly lower risk across hundreds of routine procedures can matter as much as the showcase equipment you present to visiting delegations.

Avanos CORTRAK* 2 Enteral Access System – key facts

Manufacturer: Avanos Medical Inc. (NYSE:AVNS)

Product type: Electromagnetic guided enteral feeding tube placement system

Indication: Bedside guidance for nasoenteric and nasogastric feeding tube placement in hospital settings

Price: On request from Avanos or authorized distributors

Availability: In stock in selected markets, subject to regulatory clearance and local distributor inventory

Target buyers: Acute care hospitals, intensive care units, nutrition support teams and procurement managers focusing on patient safety.

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Editorial note: This article is independent product news from ad-hoc-news and does not constitute medical or investment advice. Affiliate links to Amazon may generate a commission for ad-hoc-news at no additional cost to you. Clinical decisions should always follow local guidelines and the official instructions for use from Avanos.