3 Phases of Swallowing
Dysphagia
impairment in any stage of the swallowing process
often caused by neurological disease such as stroke
Altered nutritional intake affects
Possible symptoms of dysphagia and aspiration
Symptoms of aspiration pneumonia
Safety during feeding
Does NPO patient need oral care?
Yes, saliva can aspirate into lungs and cause pneumonia
Safety AFTER eating
Therapeutic or Mechanically altered diets
What are diet habits affected by?
SES
food security
personal practice
Thickened fluids
Nectar-like (peach juice)
- slightly thicker than water
Honey-like
Pudding-like
Enteral Nutrition
Nutrients provided through the GI tract distal to the oral cavity via a tube, catheter or stoma
- also called gavage or enteral tube feeding
Indications for enteral nutrition
Unable to ingest food but can still digest and absorb nutrients
Enteral Access Tubes - Nasal or oral insertion
a. Nasogastric tube
- Levin or Salem sump
b. Nasogastric or nasointestinal tube
- small bore feeding tube
- Keofeed or Dobbhoff
c. Orogastric or orintestinal
- small bore feeding tube
- Keofeed or Dobbhoff
Enteral Access Tubes - Surgical insertion
a. gastrostomy (g-tube)
b. jejunostomy (j-tube)
surgically implanted in the OR
Enteral Access Tubes - Endoscopic insertion
a. PEG (percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy)
b. PEJ (percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy)
put in endoscopically, interventional radiology
Insertion of NG tube
From tip of the nose to ear lobe to top of xiphoid process
Verifying Tube Placement
should be assess when first inserted and before initiating any food, water or meds
Radiographic assessment (gold standard)
pH testing of gastric aspirate
(pH lower than 5 = gastric, pH higher than 5 ~ intestinal or respiratory)
Capnography - detect expired CO2 (attach device to end of tube to detect CO2)
Note respiratory distress (not reliable)
NG tube care
Administering Enteral Feeding
a. Continuous
b. Intermittent
- syringe, careful not to use a small syringe to give too much force
c. Bolus
- needs to be worked up
- community or home setting
Complications of Enteral Feeding
a. aspiration
b. delayed gastric emptying
c. diarrhea
d. constipation
e. occlusion of tube
Feeding (gavage)
Installation of liquid nutritional supplements or feedings into the stomach for clients unable to ingest food orally
Decompression
Removal of secretions and gaseous substances from the GI tract to prevent or relieve abdominal distension
Lavage
Irrigation of the stomach in cases of active bleeding, poisoning or gastric dilation