There are some medical conditions such as a stroke, which leaves the patient unable to eat or drink. For some people swallowing is impossible, so they cannot get enough nutrition. With regular eating, the mouth and esophagus are used, but with tube feeding, these are bypassed.
If a patient cannot swallow due to any reason, a gastrostomy tube can be place in the stomach and nutritional feeding can be administered through this tube. There are times when the tube is placed into a small section of the small intestines, called the jejunum. This tube is call a jejunostomy or commonly referred to as a J-Tube.
The special medical nutritional product that is administered through the tube is called a formula. This contains all of the daily nutrients which you will need to have a well-balanced diet. There are different kinds of formulas and the one that is right for you is determined by your physician or dietician.
One way that the formula can be delivered is by gravity feeding. A sample tube feeding schedule is; 1 can of Jevity via the g-tube every 2-3 hours. This is usually done 5 times a day and the amount can be increased to 2 cans at a feeding if the patient tolerates it.
The gravity delivery set holds 1200ml and comes with a drip chamber and a roller clamp. The bag has a built in hanger and has a large opening with a leak proof cap, to help prevent formula spills and wastes. These come 30/case.
The tube feeding supplies will include the formula, a 60ml syringe, feeding tube set, room temperature water and an IV pole. Before starting the procedure, wash your hands thoroughly and also wash and dry the top of the formula cans. Shake the formula well and fill the feeding bag with the amount of cans of formula that the physician has ordered. Hang the bag on the pole.
Prior to starting the feeding, use the syringe to flush the feeding tube with the amount of water the physician has ordered. Then insert the tip end of the tubing into the feeding tube, adjusting the flow by the roller clamp. After the feeding is completed, flush the feeding tube with the amount of water the physician has ordered. This helps to keep the feeding tube from becoming clotted.
The feeding tube can also be utilized for giving medications. Most of the medications can be obtained in liquid form but if a medication is not available in liquid form, a pill can be crushed and placed in warm water before administering. Be sure to check with the pharmacist before crushing a medication to be sure it will work after being crushed. Never dilute your medicine with the formula and do not add the medicine to the formula in the feeding set. Always flush the tube well with water before and after giving the medications, so as not to plug up the tube.
General tips for home gravity feeding is to keep any open cans in the refrigerator. Throw away any formula that has been opened for longer than 48 hours. The patient needs to have their head elevated if in bed or can be sitting in a chair. Use a new feeding bag every day and rinse them out with warm water between refills.
Notify your physician if the patient has more than 3 loose, watery stools a day accompanied by stomach cramps that last for more than 2-3 days. Also if the patient has constipation lasting longer than 5 days or has been unable to take any formula for more than 24 hours, the physician should be notified.
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