Enteral Feeding Procedure You Should Know

Enteral feeding is a term used to describe the act of intaking food through the gastrointestinal tract. The gastrointestinal tract is composed of the intestines, stomach, esophagus, and mouth. Essentially, enteral feeding implies that nutritional intake from the tube or mouth is channeled to the small intestine or stomach directly. Within the medical sphere, enteral eating is used for tube feeding. The GI tract is used by people who either have an injury or a condition that makes it difficult for them to intake their food traditionally.

The unique feeding procedure helps to supply the body with crucial nutrients besides keeping the gastrointestinal tract in good working condition. In other words, enteral feeding is a perfect supplement for the traditional way to eat food and meets the body’s caloric needs.

Applications of the Enteral Feeding Procedure

There are special cases where one may have to be fed through a tube. Ideally, it is an excellent alternative for people whose capacity to physically chew, feed or swallow their food has been compromised by an injury or medical condition. Regardless of your condition, you are bound to suffer from malnutrition, extreme weight loss, and other life-threatening medical problems if you do not eat enough food.

Enteral feeding helps to satisfy the caloric and nutritional requirements of the body. Let us look at some special occasions that might warrant enteral feeding:

• Gastrointestinal Disease or Dysfunction: the disease affects your GI tract
• Movement or Neurological Disorders: it is a disorder that heightens your caloric intake but makes it hard to physically eat food
• Serious Illnesses: Incurring a serious injury to the mouth or gastrointestinal tract will make it difficult for you to chew down food normally.
• Infants: Many infants who are unable to eat require enteral feeding to nourish their bodies with nutrients
• Cancer: The condition is characterized by vomiting, nausea, and fatigue which make eating a nightmare
• Stroke: a stroke limits one ability to swallow food making it necessary to utilize enteral feeding

Different Kinds of Enteral Feeding

There are six major kinds of enteral feeding. That includes jejunostomy tubes, gastronomy tubes, oroenteric tubes, nasoenteric tubes, orogastric tubes, and nasogastric tubes. The six types can be stratified further based on where the final food’s destination which is either the intestines or stomach. It is upon the doctor to choose the size of the tube and where it will be placed. The decision is guided by a patient’s digestive abilities as well as nutritional needs.

Potential Enteral Feeding Drawbacks

As much as enteral feeding may be beneficial in different difficult situations, it is not entirely perfect. It bears some detrimental side effects to the user. First, it can culminate in aspiration a situation where food penetrates the lungs. It can also lead to electrolyte imbalance in the body or a condition referred to as refeeding syndrome. You are also bound to suffer an infection at the site of insertion. Other damaging impacts of enteral feeding are vomiting and nausea because of feeding on large food quantities within a short time. The unorthodox feeding method is also likely to cause tube blockage, tube dislodgement, diarrhea, and skin irritation. 

Final Verdict

The enteral feeding procedure is a temporary but effective way to supply nutrients and calories to the body of a patient that is unable to eat physically owing to surgery, an injury, or sickness. It may also be utilized on a long-term basis for people with physical disabilities and movement disorders. However, it should be used with optimal care to avoid potential drawbacks of the feeding procedure like vomiting and diarrhea.