What is a Feeding Tube?
A feeding tube is a way to give someone food, drink, and medicines when they cannot eat or drink normally. Feeding tubes are put through the skin and into the stomach.
There are different types of feeding tubes. The most common is a gastrostomy tube (G-tube), which ends in the stomach. People who have severe reflux or whose stomachs do not empty normally may need a special feeding tube called a gastrojejunostomy tube (GJ-tube). A GJ-tube enters the stomach but ends in the bowel. A jejunostomy tube (J-tube) is a third type of feeding tube that enters directly into the bowel.
How is Feeding Tube put in the body?
Feeding tubes can be put in with surgery. They can also be put in with the help of a camera passed down the throat. Finally, feeding tubes can be put in with the help of moving x-rays. This is the kind your clinician has recommended that you get.
You will lay on your back. You will get medicines to relax you. The clinician will inflate your stomach through a skinny tube passed from your nose into your stomach. Try not to burp the air out. They will numb your skin. The clinician will put the feeding tube through a hole in your belly and into your stomach as they watch using moving x-rays. The tip of the tube has a balloon or a coil to keep it from slipping out. They may put little buttons to bring the stomach close to the skin. If so, they will tell you when they will remove the buttons.
Placing a Feeding Tube (Gastrostomy Tube Shown)
1. The clinician inflates the stomach and numbs the skin of the upper belly.
2. They use x-rays to pass the tube through the skin and into the stomach. They may place little buttons to hold the stomach in place.
3. They secure the tube so it does not fall out.
What are the risks?
Feeding tube placement is generally safe when done by a specialist.
8 in 100 people develop infection or experience bleeding.
Over time, feeding tubes can get clogged or break. They should be swapped for a new tube, usually every 6 months.
Sometimes, the tube can irritate the skin around it. If stomach juices leak around the tube, it can cause the skin to break down or become infected.
What are the alternatives?
Your treatment options depend on your preferences and your unique conditions.
Alternative 1 Not getting a feeding tube. This avoids a procedure, but you may not be able to get enough nutrition without it. You might also be at risk for choking.
People near the end of life due to terminal diseases like severe dementia or advanced cancer often have decreased appetite. Forcing nutrition through a feeding tube can cause more harm than benefit.
Alternative 2 Nutrition can be given through a PICC or peripherally inserted central venous catheter, a special IV. The advantage is avoiding a feeding tube. However, giving nutrition through a PICC carries a higher risk of infection and blood clots. PICCs also require more care. They must be replaced every couple of months. Feeding through the blood vessels rather than stomach or bowels can also create other health problems.