When a patient is unable to eat normally, the doctor may prescribe artificial nutrition. It involves the introduction of nutrients through a tube, enema, or intravenously. Such nutrition is necessary when the usual is undesirable, for example, in order not to aggravate the patient's condition, when food can get into the respiratory tract or cause infection of wounds after a recent operation.
It is possible to deliver food components to the body passively. One type of such delivery is tube feeding. In this case, energy is spent only at the stage of digestion.
Through a probe, food is delivered from the oral or nasal cavity to the stomach. Alternatively, the probe can be passed in such a way that one end remains free, coming out of artificially created holes.
Types
In medicine, there are several types of probes:
- Nasogastric - when the tube is inserted through one of the nasal passages.
- Gastral - installed through the mouth.
- Gastrostomy - creating artificial holes and passing a probe through them.
- Eyunostoma - placing one end of the device in a thinintestines, and the other end remains free.
Probes are distinguished by diameter. The gastric one is larger, and since it is more convenient to carry out nutrition with it, feeding through a tube is often done using this device. Additionally, a nasogastric tube is used when it is not possible to use the first one. The diameter of the gastrostomy is the same as that of the gastric one, but it is shorter. And besides, you need to make additional holes in order to carry out feeding through a tube.
Indications
To make it necessary to feed with a probe, the patient must have certain indications:
- it is impossible to consume food in the usual way;
- The patient's stomach and intestines are functioning normally.
Therefore, tube feeding is carried out for persons who are unconscious and debilitated patients. Also, the named procedure is prescribed if the patient cannot swallow for various reasons. Feeding the patient through a probe, in addition, is also carried out in cases where an operation on the stomach or esophagus has been transferred.
Best effect
When the stomach and intestines work, but there is no opportunity to eat as usual, then the use of the tube gives certain positive effects:
- The lack of nutrients and energy substances that are needed for the body to function normally is replenished.
- Normal bowel function with this type of feedingprovided.
- When food enters the stomach and then into the intestines, the gastrointestinal tract continues to function.
Setting rule
In order for tube feeding to be successful, some rules must be followed. Insertion of the probe, use and care of it must all be strictly in accordance with the instructions so as not to further harm the patient who needs the named feeding.
Installation of the probe involves its exact hit in the required part of the gastrointestinal tract. Particular care must be taken when injected into the respiratory tract. Therefore, during the procedure, you need to carefully monitor the condition of the patient. And then you should check if the location of the installation is correct. The test is carried out with air.
To do this, Janet's syringe is attached with the piston, which is withdrawn to the stop, to the free end of the probe. And on the area located just below the xiphoid process, put a phonendoscope. Pressure on the piston allows air to be pushed into the probe. The splash that will be heard through the phonendoscope indicates the correct installation of the probe.
It must be remembered that if something goes wrong, it will become impossible to feed through the tube. The algorithm for inserting this feeding tool is simple, but the installation process itself is very laborious. So, it is not possible to insert a probe into an emaciated person, because his stomach is almost empty of fluid.
Feeding a premature baby
If the baby was born prematurely, independing on the degree of his development, artificial feeding may be prescribed if he does not yet have sucking and swallowing reflexes.
Tube feeding a newborn can be done in two ways:
- The introduction is provided for a period of one feeding, and then it is removed.
- For reusable use, the device is inserted once and not removed.
Introducing the tube to a newborn should be done very carefully. Before this, you need to measure the distance from the bridge of the nose to the sternum. Before the introduction, you need to pour a little milk into the tube to check that the installation was correct.
Feeding a baby through a tube should be done with extreme caution. It is necessary at all times to ensure that the child does not choke and breathe freely. If during the flow of milk vomiting began, then you need to turn the baby on the barrel and stop feeding. Later, when the baby can swallow, you can give milk or formula through a dropper.
Feeding the sick
Seriously ill people require especially careful care. When appetite decreases and chewing and swallowing movements become weak, it may be necessary to feed the seriously ill through a tube.
In such cases, it is important to choose a balanced diet for the patient in order not only to maintain life in the body, but also to stimulate processes through nutrition that can further affect the recovery of a person:
- Food needs to be introducedonly liquid. Tube feeding involves special preparations with a homogenized emulsion, with a balanced content of vitamins and minerals.
- If substances from the introduced food are slowly digested, then you can make a nutrient enema. The principle of execution is the same as that of the cleansing one, only instead of water, a nutrient composition is collected in the pear.
After the feeding procedure is completed, the instruments for insertion are disinfected, and the tube itself remains in the stomach for 4-5 days.
Specialist consultation needed
You can not install the probe yourself, without a doctor's prescription. In addition, consultation on this type of nutrition should be carried out by a medical professional, and he must control all the first manipulations with the probe, correcting shortcomings and errors. But this is only if the patient is at home and he has been assigned such care, which is usually rare.
When a person is a patient of the hospital, the medical staff takes care of him. If this is done by a person who is absolutely not prepared to carry out such a procedure, then he can cause internal damage, which will make it difficult to install the probe later and lead to serious consequences.
