Tube feeding and gastrostomy feeding at home
tube feeding · gastrostomy feeding · feeding tube · gastrostomy · nasogastric tube
If a person cannot eat by mouth, food is given through a thin tube, either through the nose to the stomach or straight into the stomach through the belly. At home, family members do this.
For swallowing problems after a stroke, for diseases of the throat and food pipe, and other conditions when the doctor has ordered this kind of feeding.
⏱ Duration: one feeding usually takes 20 to 40 minutes, or several hours if given slowly by pump
Be sure to tell your doctor
How to prepare
- Formula. The doctor prescribes which formula, how much and how often. Do not change it yourself.
- Temperature. Give the formula at room temperature, not cold and not hot.
- Position. Raise the person's head and chest, sitting or half sitting.
- Medicines. Not all tablets can go through the tube. Ask the doctor or pharmacist which can be crushed.
What to bring
- The formula and a feeding syringe
- Boiled water for flushing
- Discharge papers with the feeding plan
- A spare tube or adapter, if you were given one
How it goes
- Wash your hands and prepare the formula
- Sit the person up or raise the head of the bed
- Check the tube is in place, using the mark on the tube
- Flush the tube with a small amount of water
- Give the formula slowly, with a syringe or a pump
- Flush the tube with water again after feeding
- Keep the person half sitting for at least another 30 minutes
What you'll feel
- It can feel strange to the person, sometimes with a feeling of heaviness
- Feeding too fast causes nausea and bloating
Afterwards
- Care for the mouth, even if the person does not eat by mouth
- Wash and dry the skin around the gastrostomy every day
- Keep notes: how much was given, stools, weight
- See the doctor or nurse regularly
Contact a doctor straight away if
- Coughing, choking or wheezing during feeding: stop feeding; if it does not pass, call your local emergency number
- The gastrostomy tube fell out: cover the opening with a clean gauze and see a doctor urgently, as the opening closes quickly
- Vomiting blood or coffee-ground material, severe belly pain: call your local emergency number
- Fever, pus around the opening
Common questions
What if the tube is blocked?
Try flushing with warm water using a syringe, without strong pressure. Do not clear it with a wire. If it does not work, call your doctor.
Can I give food by mouth?
Only if the doctor allowed it after checking swallowing. Otherwise food can go into the lungs.