Depending on a person’s health, there may come a time when an attending physician recommends the placement of a feeding tube. As Florida home health care service providers with experience in feeding tube care, we understand how confusing that may be for families. So in the hopes of making feeding tube situations less stressful, we wanted to briefly touch upon the topic in this week’s blog post.

To begin with, there are several different types of feeding tubes used in home health care in Florida today. Among them are J-tubes, NG-tubes, ND-tubes, TPN and PEGs. Some of the feeding tubes, like the PEG, require surgical intervention. The surgery is needed because they are inserted directly into the stomach or intestines through the skin. Others, like the nasogastric tubes, do not require surgical placement. They are typically inserted into the body through the nasal cavity. The person’s situation will obviously determine which type of feeding tube will be needed.

Once the feeding tube is in position, it will need to be used according to specific, physician’s instructions. For some clients, those instructions may dictate a gravity or continuous feed. For others, the physician may prescribe bolus feedings. In addition to following those instructions, the feeding tube must also be maintained.

Because there are different feeding tubes, placements and administration methods in use today, the maintenance tasks are likely to vary per individual. Nonetheless, common tasks include washing the feeding bag, changing out the tubing, suctioning the tube and cleaning around the surgical site.

The good news is that families intimidated by those feeding tube related tasks don’t have to go it alone. Home health care professionals in Florida can provide feeding tube care and eating assistance. They can also provide onsite support to families that wish to participate in their loved one’s feeding tube care. To learn more about securing those specific services and more, please contact us at Best Care.