How to Give Feeding Through a Feeding Tube

A feeding tube is a soft, flexible tube through which medicine, water, and liquid food (formulaor breastmilk) can be given. A person may have a feeding tube if he or she has trouble swallowing or cannot have food or medicine by mouth.

A health care provider may also give you more specific instructions. If you have problems or questions, contact a health care provider.

Supplies needed:

• Prescribed formula. Breast milk may be used for an infant.
• Feeding bag set, gravity drip tubing set, or 30–60 mL syringe with feeding extension tubing.
• Feeding tube pump or syringe pump as needed.
• Pole to hang feeding.
• 20–60 mL syringe to check tube placement.
• A syringe to flush the feeding tube.
• Sterile or purified water. Follow these guidelines:
  • Use sterile water if the person has a weak immune system and has difficulty fighting off infections (is immunocompromised), or if you are unsure about the amount of chemical contaminants in purified or drinking water.
  • Purify drinking water by boiling it for at least 1 minute. Keep a lid over the water while it boils. Allow the water to cool to room temperature before using it.

How to give a feeding through a feeding tube pump

1. Have all supplies ready and available.
2. Wash your hands with soap and water.
3. Check the placement of the feeding tube as directed.
4. Raise the head of the person 30–45°, or as directed.
5. Pour the prescribed amount of formula into the feeding bag set.
6. Hang the feeding bag set from a pole. Formula that is prepared in a sterile way can hang for up to 8 hours. For a newborn, hang time should be limited to 4 hours.
7. Prime the entire feeding bag set with the formula. To do this, allow the liquid to travel through the entire set to the end of the tubing.
8. Cap the feeding bag set until after the feeding tube has been flushed.
9. Load the feeding bag set into the feeding tube pump.
10. Clamp or kink the feeding tube before removing the cap and as you are disconnecting syringes and feeding tubing.
11. Uncap the end of the feeding tube.
12. Use a syringe to flush the feeding tube with purified or sterile water as directed.
13. Uncap the feeding bag set.
14. Connect the feeding bag set to the feeding tube.
15. Set the prescribed feeding rate on the feeding tube pump.
16. Start the feeding tube pump.

How to give a feeding through a syringe pump

1. Wash your hands with soap and water.
2. Have all supplies ready and available.
3. Check the placement of the feeding tube as directed.
4. Raise the head of the person 30–45°, or as directed.
5. Draw up prescribed amount of formula into the correctly sized syringe.
6. Attach the syringe to the feeding extension tubing.
7. Prime the extension tubing by flushing the entire feeding extension tubing with the feeding liquid.
8. Load the syringe and feeding extension tubing into the syringe pump.
9. Cap the feeding extension tubing.
10. Clamp or kink the feeding tube before removing the cap and as you are disconnecting syringes and feeding tubing.
11. Uncap the end of the feeding tube.
12. Use a syringe to flush the feeding tube with purified or sterile water as directed.
13. Uncap the feeding extension tubing.
14. Connect the feeding extension tubing to the feeding tube.
15. Set the prescribed feeding rate.
16. Start the syringe pump.

How to give a feeding using the gravity method

1. Wash your hands with soap and water.
2. Have all supplies ready and available.
3. Check the placement of the feeding tube as directed.
4. Raise the head of the person 30–45°, or as directed.
5. Close the clamp on the gravity drip tubing set.
6. Pour the prescribed amount of formula into the bag of a gravity drip tubing set. Or, if using a ready-to-hang formula container, connect the gravity drip tubing set to the ready-to-hang container.
7. Hang the feeding with the attached gravity drip tubing set from a pole. Formula that is prepared in a sterile way can hang for up to 8 hours. For a newborn, hang time should be limited to 4 hours.
8. Open the roller clamp on the gravity drip tubing to prime the entire tubing with the feeding.
9. Close the roller clamp.
10. Cap the gravity drip tubing.
11. Clamp or kink the feeding tube before removing the cap and as you are disconnecting syringes and feeding tubing.
12. Uncap the feeding tube.
13. Use a syringe to flush the feeding tube with purified or sterile water as directed.
14. Uncap the gravity drip tubing.
15. Connect the gravity drip tubing to the feeding tube.
16. Using the roller clamp, adjust the feeding rate to deliver the feeding at the prescribed rate.

How to give a bolus feeding through a feeding tube

1. Remove the plunger from the syringe.
2. Attach the syringe to the feeding tube.
3. Pour the amount of formula needed into the syringe.
4. Administer the feeding at the prescribed rate by means of gravity.
5. Clamp or kink the feeding tube before removing the cap or disconnecting the syringe.

A feeding bag may also be used for bolus feedings, depending on the volume of feeding given.

Contact a health care provider if:

• You are having trouble doing a tube feeding.
• You are not sure what type of formula to give.
• The feeding tube is clogged, falls out, or does not work.
• The person who is getting the feeding has unusual weight loss or weight gain.

Get help right away if:

• The skin area around the feeding tube is red, swollen, warm to the touch, or tender.
• There is drainage coming from the area around the feeding tube.
• The drainage coming from the area around the feeding tube has a bad smell.
• The person who is getting the feeding develops any of these problems:
  • Vomiting or nausea.
  • Fever.
  • Constipation or diarrhea.
  • A large, bloated stomach.

Summary

• A person may have a feeding tube if he or she has trouble swallowing or cannot have food or medicine by mouth.
• You can give formula or breast milk through the tube.
• Have all of your supplies ready and available before giving a feeding.
• If you have problems or questions, contact a health care provider.