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Tube Feeding Complications

Tube feeding is a medical treatment for patients who are unable to eat normally. It is used to ensure that the patient obtains adequate amounts of food and nutrition when they are unable to eat normally. According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, patients who only need to be tube fed for a short period of time will have their tube inserted into their nasal passageway and patients who need to be tube fed for a prolonged period of time will have their tube inserted directly into their stomach. Patients being tube fed can experience tube feeding complications. Some of these complications can be treated relatively easily, but others cannot.

  1. Nausea and Vomiting

    • According to the University of Washington, nausea and vomiting can be a complication of tube feeding. This complication most often occurs when the contents going into the feeding tube are administered too rapidly. To treat this tube feeding complication, the person operating the tube can cut back the amount administered to a tolerable level and then gradually increase this amount over time.

    Constipation

    • Patients being tube fed may experience constipation. According to the University of Washington, this complication can occur when there is inadequate amounts of fluid or fiber in the contents being fed to the patient. Treating this complication involves formulas with fiber, stool softeners, adding prune juice, and increasing the patient's water intake.

    Tube Feeding Syndrome

    • Patients being tube fed may experience tube feeding syndrome. According to the University of Washington, tube feeding syndrome is a condition in which the patient becomes dehydrated, develops elevated sodium levels, and has compounds in their body that contain abnormal levels of nitrogen. This complication occurs when the patient is getting too much protein and not enough fluids. To treat this tube feeding complication, the patient can decrease their protein intake and increase their fluid intake.

    Hyponatremia

    • Hyponatremia is a condition in which the body's sodium levels are abnormally low. According to the University of Washington, this is a possible complication of tube feeding. To treat this complication, the patient should restrict their fluid intake and replace their sodium losses.

    Clogged Feeding Tube

    • In some cases, a feeding tube may become clogged. According to the University of Washington, this tube feeding complication can occur due to protein residue building up in the feeding tube, certain medications, or because the feeding tube is not flushed often or well enough. To treat this tube feeding complication the correct formula needs to be used, medications and formula should not be mixed, the feeding tube should be flushed every 3-4 hours, or the tube should be replaced.

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