Tube Feeding Diet

A form of enteral nutrition support designed to provide adequate nutrition in a form that can be administered through a tube, used for persons that are unable to tolerate an oral diet or who have inadequate oral intake and have functioning gastrointestinal tract.

Aim:

To provide a source of complete nutrition in a form that will easily pass through a tube in patients in whom oral feeding methods are contraindicated or not tolerated or whose condition warrant supplementation in the form of natural foods.

Characteristic:

Composed of foods included in the Soft Diet and Liquid Diet, blended, and liquefied to enable the mixture to pass thru a polyvinyl tube. It may be administered through a gastronomy or jejunostomy. A satisfactory tube feeding formula must be nutritionally adequate except for prescribe modifications for specifies nutrients. It must be inexpensive, easier, prepared and stored.

Types of Tube Feeding:

Homogenized or blenderized mixture of foods selected from a normal diet.

Indications for Use:

When patient is unable to chew or swallow due to deformity or inflammation of mouth or throat, corrosive poisoning, coma, unconsciousness, paralysis of throat, muscles, surgery of the head and neck, esophageal obstruction, surgery of the GIT, in severe burns, mental disturbances, anorexia nervosa, mandibular fractures, strokes, or trauma to be the oral pharyngeal cavity.

Feeding Administration:

Tube feeding may be given as continuous drip or at intervals throughout the day. The regimen should be adjusted to the patient's condition, nutriture, and dietary prescription by the doctor. To initiate tube feeding used dilute mixture at first, about half the required concentration. Try 50ml of the mixture at hourly interval then gradually increase the concentration and volume until patient can tolerate 300ml at 2-3 hourly intervals. Do not exceed 300ml per feeding.

For Continuous drip method, the flow of the tube feeding should be very slow at first then increases gradually but kept at constant, steady rate. Total volume should not exceed 100ml/hr. with a dilution of 1kcal/ml.

Additional water should be given as needed to make fluids requirement as patient's condition improve, whenever possible food should be given orally.

Again, small amount of liquid food is introduced, gradually, increasing the volume and consistency until part of the days feeding is by normal route.

Foods Allowed:

Well cooked meat, ripe fruit, cooked vegetable whole or non fat dry milk, cooked eggs, sugar, oil, homogenized milk, and low fibrous fruit. 

Foods to be Avoided:

Plain pasteurized milk, course fibrous food that tends to clog the blender.

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