Nursing care of adult patients with nasoenteral feeding tubes

Abstract

Enteral feeding tubes [EFT] are frequently used in clinical practice. They are normally utilized for patient feeding or gastric decompression. Nursing care for these patients is based on routine and non-specific clinical guidelines that are not based on current scientific evidence. The main findings of the search are presented as follows: Polyurethane is the most commonly used material for feeding tubes. The small bore feeding tubes are better tolerated by patients, but they migrate easily from their position. Bigger tubes are easier to place and to suction, but they can cause tissue damage. To confirm correct p^lacement of EFT X-rays continue to be the gold standard. The use of continuous feeding is recommended over intermittent feeding. Methods for attaching EFT to the skin include plastic sticky drapes together with benjui solution. There is no consensus with measuring gastric residual volume as a monitor for correct EFT use. The administration ofprokinétics is recommended to facilitate gastric emptying, and enteral feeding. The evidence is not conclusive in terms of the association between EFT and risk of aspiration pneumonia. However, there is evidence which suggest that elevating the bed 35-45⁰ and frequent mouth cleaning lowers the risk of pneumonia. There is little high quality evidence for all these recommendations, and therefore more nursing research is needed in this area.