How to Permanently Remove a Mic-Key Button

A gastric feeding tube (or G-tube) allows medical personnel and home caretakers to transfer liquid food directly to the stomach without forcing the patient to eat. While the tube itself can stay in for a very long time, the transmission ports, located outside of the patient's skin, must be removed occasionally to allow for the connection of a new port. If your G-tube makes use of a Mic-Key button, you can easily remove the button without medical knowledge or a sterile environment.

Things You'll Need

• Mic-Key button changing kit

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Instructions

• 1

  Wash your hands thoroughly before opening the Mic-Key button changing kit.

• 2

  Open the Mic-Key button changing kit and remove an empty syringe from the kit. Have the patient lie on his back.

• 3

  Connect the empty syringe to the syringe port on the Mic-Key button connected to the patient.

• 4

  Hold the Mic-Key button in one hand, and pull back on the syringe's plunger to extract water from the Mic-Key button's balloon with the other. Keep pulling on the syringe until you are confident that all of the water is extracted from the balloon. Remove the syringe from the button with the water still inside.

• 5

  Pull up gently on the Mic-Key button to remove it from the patient's G-tube. Make sure the patient does not raise his head during removal, since this could tense up his stomach muscles and make removal more difficult.