Types of Feeding Tubes and Their Uses
A feeding tube may be a medical device that's wont to feed a private World Health Organization is unable to require food orally safely. This issue is also thanks to issue swallowing, associate degree altered level of consciousness, associate degree disorder, or alternative problems that build consumption difficult. There ar multiple sorts of feeding tubes and plenty of reasons why a feedin
g tube is also required. every state of affairs is totally different, and also the call to own a feeding tube placed for good may be a terribly totally different issue than permitting a short lived tube to be in situ.
To make a intelligent call concerning feeding tubes, it's necessary to grasp what a feeding tube is, the variations between sorts of feeding tubes, once a tube is critical versus nonmandatory, and the way these tubes ar place in situ.
Feeding Tubes Explained
A feeding tube may be a plastic tube that's wont to bypass mastication and swallowing during a patient World Health Organization isn't ready to eat or drink safely. These tubes is wont to deliver each food and fluids, and may even be used for providing medications once required. A feeding tube may be wont to take away fluids from the abdomen if the body isn’t process abdomen contents well.
Uses
Feeding tubes ar sensible for over providing food, they'll additionally relieve gas and bloating and scale back nausea and inborn reflex.
Common uses of a feeding tube include:
Providing Nutrition: Food, in liquid type, is provided through a feeding tube. Tube feeding, or enteral nutrition, is given through the tube to produce carbohydrates, protein, and fats to the body while not requiring the patient to swallow or chew.
Providing Fluids: Water is provided through a feeding tube to stay the patient hydrous while not having to relinquish IV fluids.
Providing Medication: Medications, as well as several pills and tablets, is given through a feeding tube. Tablets might need grinding and a few capsules might have to be opened, however if the particles ar sufficiently little most medications is intermingled with water and administered through a feeding tube.
Decompressing the Stomach: Some sorts of the feeding tube is wont to take away air from the abdomen. Some sorts of feeding tubes, the temporary ones, specially, is connected to suction to carefully take away gas from the abdomen to scale back distention 1and bloating.
Removing abdomen Contents: If you are not process food or fluids, you'll have food sitting within the abdomen that causes discomfort, nausea, inborn reflex or abdomen pain and bloating. light suction is wont to take away fluids and little particles of food from your abdomen.
When a Feeding Tube is critical
A feeding tube is critical once you cannot safely take food or fluids orally. whereas it's doable to relinquish fluid associate degreed nutrition through an IV, the body will higher with food being delivered to the gut than into the blood vessels. Whenever doable, it's safer and higher for the body to receive food and fluids within the abdomen for traditional digestion, however if you've got issue swallowing, this might not be safe.
Trouble swallowing will mean the patient chokes on food and fluids, or they “go down the incorrect pipe” and things ar inhaled into the lungs rather than being engulfed. this could result in serious unwellness, as well as respiratory illness, from the food particles getting into the lungs.
Others is also too sick to swallow, or ar on the ventilator with a tube inserted into the airway that forestalls swallowing. Some patients ar alert and adjusted however have lost the flexibility to swallow well. Still, others have a unwellness or unwellness that creates it tough to swallow, like carcinoma.
The Decision to put a Feeding Tube
The decision to put a feeding tube may be a sophisticated one and is formed harder if the patient isn't ready to participate within the discussion or hasn't nonetheless shared their desires relating to their care. In several cases, a patient World Health Organization wants a feeding tube is either insensible or unconscious and is unable to share their desires with friends and worshipped ones.
The question of what the patient would wish, and whether or not the tube is probably going to be temporary, semipermanent or permanent needs thought. Some families pay days discussing the choice amongst themselves or might have a family meeting with medical workers to debate the choice.
In several cases, the choice to put a feeding tube is plus the choice to put a surgical procedure, a hole within the throat through that a ventilator will support your respiration. this is often as a result of cannulization, the method during which a tube is inserted into the mouth and down into the airway therefore a ventilator is used, will solely be used for some weeks till the harm will occur within the throat. Since this stuff ar each at intervals a two-week closing date, the position of a surgical procedure and a stomachic tube ar usually done at identical time or at intervals some days of every alternative.
Types
There ar multiple sorts of feeding tubes, and that they ar used for a range of conditions. the character of the matter that's inflicting issue swallowing, additionally called upset,2 can facilitate confirm the sort of tube that's used. Some ar meant to be temporary, et al. ar meant to be semipermanent or maybe permanent.
A temporary feeding tube, that is one that's inserted into the nose or mouth, down the throat, and into the abdomen (G-tube) or deeper into the gut (J-tube), will solely safely keep in situ for concerning fourteen days. Placement via the throat longer than fortnight will increase the danger of abrasion of the fragile tissues of the throat and passage. this could result in permanent problems like harm to the vocal organ and throat.
A semipermanent or permanent feeding tube is one that's meant to be used for months, years or maybe permanent placement. just like the temporary tube, these tubes is removed if they're now not required however will stay in situ for extended periods of your time while not risk to the mouth, throat, and passage as a result of food moves directly into the abdomen.
Short-Term Feeding Tubes
Nasogastric (NG) Tube: this kind of tube is inserted into the nose, down through the throat, down through the passage into the abdomen. It will stay in situ for about fortnight before it should be removed or replaced with a semipermanent feeding tube.
Orogastric Tube (OG): identical form of tube as a nasogastric tube, the tube is inserted into the mouth, down the throat into the passage and finish rests within the abdomen. This tube may stay in situ for up to 2 weeks once it should be removed or replaced with a permanent tube.
Temporary Feeding Tubes
A temporary feeding tube is inserted into the mouth or nose, down the throat, into the passage so the top rests within the abdomen (G-tube) or the center of the little gut (J-tube). These sorts of tubes have a radiopaque tip, which means there's atiny low quantity of fabric that enables them to be detected on x-ray at the top of the tube. once placement, associate degree x-ray is completed, which permits correct placement to be confirmed before the tube is employed.
Types of Permanent/Long Term Feeding Tubes
Gastric Tube (G tube): this kind of tube permits for direct access to the abdomen through associate degree incision within the left top of the abdomen. This tube fully bypasses the mouth and throat and permits for food, fluids, and drugs to incline while not swallowing.
Jejunostomy Tube (J tube): this kind of tube is analogous to the stomachic tube, being placed through associate degree incision within the abdomen that's less than G-tube placement, and permits for direct access to the small gut that is that the middle third of the little intestine. This tube tends to be smaller than the G-tube, which may limit what is infused to skinny liquids and finely ground pulverized medications.
Percutaneous examination surgery (PEG): This term is commonly used interchangeably with G-tube, however this really refers to the technique wont to place the G-tube. transdermic examination surgery describes the procedure wont to place the G-tube, not the G-tube itself.
How a stomachic Tube Is Placed
The procedure to put the stomachic tube is usually a fast one, and should or might not need anaesthesia betting on your condition. In terribly unwell patients in medical aid, no extra sedation is also needed to put the tube at the side.
The medical instrument may be a long skinny instrument with a light-weight and a camera on the top that enables the supplier to look at the procedure on a monitor. The scope is inserted into the mouth, down the throat, and into the abdomen. Once within the abdomen, it's really doable to envision the sunshine from the scope shining through the skin of the abdomen, showing the medico wherever to form the incision. atiny low incision is formed around an in. long, through that the versatile tube is place in situ. Older G-tubes might have a balloon that keeps the tube in situ.
The outside portion of the tube encompasses a cap that enables the tube to be opened, and for food and fluids to be gently pushed through the tube into the abdomen. With sensible tube care, the incision can shut additional tightly round the tube, and any leaky of food or fluid that happens within the days like a shot following the procedure ought to be reduced with healing.
While the incision is healing, a bandage with a slit in it's placed round the tube. This helps absorb any fluid that will leak from the positioning. If voidance is gift and worsening the skin, a barrier ointment is also used for defense. Gently laundry the positioning with soap and water and remotion soap residue from the realm is commonly all the care the positioning wants.
Long term, several patients need no ointment or gauze at the positioning, however some like a dressing just in case there's voidance to stop skin irritation or garments from being bedraggled.
Temporary Feeding Tube Removal
The removal of a feeding tube that's temporary is each fast and straightforward. it should be irritating to the fragile tissues of the mouth, throat, and nose, however this is often usually negligible. to get rid of the tube, the tube is cleared of food and fluids, with an outsized syringe created to be used with a feeding tube. it's then gently force out, taking 3-5 seconds to steady be removed. If the tip of the tube is unbroken, demonstrating that the complete tube has been with success removed, it's thrown away.
Permanent Feeding Tube Removal
If you regain the flexibility to eat and drink well, it's doable to get rid of a “permanent” feeding tube. amazingly, the procedure is fast, and whereas there's some pain, it's usually moderate and temporary. Practitioners vary in their necessities for having a tube removed; some might need you to take care of your weight for a minimum of a month whereas taking all food and fluid via the G-tube, whereas others might need a extended amount of your time.
Once the choice is formed to get rid of the tube, the tube is force out, however this will need a point of force to be used. The patient sometimes encompasses a disposable towel control close to the positioning, and also the supplier grasps the tube firmly and pulls steady however firmly to get rid of it from the positioning. If there's a balloon on the within of the abdomen, it's deflated before removing the tube, however most varieties have a rim instead of a balloon and this step isn't required.
The process will usually sting, and there's atiny low quantity of blood in some cases, however the pain passes quickly. you'll expect the incision to be stitched closed, however this is often not necessary, and a clean dressing is over adequate keep the patient’s garments clean within the days that follow if there's any voidance. The incision sometimes closes at intervals per week of the tube being removed.
A Word From Verywell
The decision to put a feeding tube isn't one to require gently, it's necessary to debate what quite semipermanent outcome is expected for you or your beloved. for a few patients, the tube is associate degreeticipated to be temporary whereas they get over an unwellness. For alternative patients, the feeding tube is also expected to stay in situ for the remainder of their life.
Whether or not this is often acceptable for you or your beloved is that the primary question. If you are a caregiver during a state of affairs doubtless requiring a feeding tube, you are beloved might have uttered robust opinions on the subject, or they'll have not mentioned their desires for his or her semipermanent care. If you're unsure of their desires, exploitation your best judgment—along with the opinions of the team providing care and doubtless the recommendation of alternative worshipped ones—will be your guide for decision-making.