Patient Name:
Type of feeding tube:
Date inserted:
Amount of water in balloon:
Now that you have your feeding tube in, it’s important to care for it properly. After having the tube in, the area around the tube may be sore for a few days.
The following leaflet gives you general help and advice. Before you go home you will be given instructions by the specialist nurses or dieticians on using the tube. At the end of this leaflet, there are some useful contact numbers you can use if you have problems.
If there is pain on feeding or external leakage of stomach contents or fresh bleeding, stop feed immediately and telephone your community dietician for urgent advice. If unable to contact, you should attend your local Accident and Emergency Department.
When will the sutures be removed?
If your feeding tube is new, the sutures in your skin will either dissolve on their own or be removed by the community nurses after the tube has been put in. They will be removed by the ward staff if you are still in hospital. The team looking after you will make sure arrangements are made for any sutures that need to be removed.
Daily stoma site care
Before touching your tube or any feed always wash your hands.
The stoma site (any opening on the body) must be kept clean and dry. If it is a new tube it must be cleaned for the first seven days by a healthcare professional using aseptic technique (the procedure used to minimise infection).
After 7 days the site should then be cleaned daily with warm soapy water using a soft wipe and dried thoroughly with a soft dry wipe.
The feeding tube must be rotated at least once per week, but no more than once per day, this is to maintain freedom of movement and to prevent over granulation.
Mouth care after your tube insertion
When you are unable to eat, it is easy to forget about your mouth care. It is very important to keep your mouth clean and moist. You should clean your teeth regularly and use a mouth wash. If your mouth is particularly dry due to chemotherapy or radiotherapy your dietician will give you special instructions.
Changing the water in the balloon
Your feeding tube is held in place by a small balloon which is inflated with water. This water needs to be changed weekly.
The water in the balloon is completely removed and replaced with either sterile water in the hospital or with cooled boiled water in the community. This may be done by District Nurses in the community or by yourself if you have been trained.
The amount of water in the balloon depends on the tube manufacturer and size. Please look in this leaflet for the amount of water that is in your balloon or contact the Community Dietitians if the details are unknown.
Can I put medication down my feeding tube?
Your prescribed medications can go down your feeding tube. You must make sure that any medication that is put down the tube is in syrup or dissolvable form, please contact your pharmacist or GP if you have any medication that is in tablet form.
You must flush the tube with 50mls of sterile or cooled boiled water before and after any medications are put down the tube. You must give each medication individually and flush with 10ml-20mls of sterile or cooled boiled water between each medication.
DO NOT put any crushed tablets down the tube as they WILL block it.
DO NOT give any bulk-forming laxatives down the tube, e.g., “Fybogel” as they may form a thick jelly like mass once they are moistened.
What to do if your feeding tube becomes blocked
There are lots of reasons why your feeding tube may have become blocked, such as:
- Missing fluid flushes before and after feeding or after medications
- Putting crushed tablets down the tube
- Putting lots of medications down the tube at the same time
- The tube may have become kinked
If your feeding tube does become blocked, there are different things you can try, such as:
- Making sure that the tube is not kinked
- Looking for blockages in the tube
- Try to flush the tube with warm boiled water
- DO NOT use fruit juices, fizzy or carbonated drinks, this will make the blockage worse, as the acid in the drinks can react with feed/medication and cause damage to the tube
- DO NOT Use smaller volume syringes (unless trained by your nurse) as this can lead to ruptured tubes because of excess pressure
- DO NOT attempt to unblock it with any sharp objects
If you cannot unblock the tube, it must be changed. You must contact your Community Dietician or your district nurse as soon as possible.
What do I do if the tube falls out?
If your gastrostomy tube does fall out, you must contact your community dietician or district nurses as soon as possible.
For gastrostomy tubes, you can insert the correct size ENPLUG into the tract if you have them available and feel comfortable to do this. If not, it is important to get your district nurse or local A&E department to insert an ENPLUG or temporary catheter into the site of the gastrostomy as soon as possible to keep the tract open as they can heal over very quickly.
If your gastrotomy tube has been in place for more than 12 weeks since the initial insertion, the community nutrition nurse or district nurse may be able to replace this for you at home. If not, arrangements will be made to replace your tube at your local hospital.
FAQS
Do I need a dressing to cover my feeding tube?
No dressing is needed from the day after your procedure if your feeding tube is new, as a dressing can increase the risk of infection. A dressing is only needed if there is any leakage from around the tube itself.
Can I go swimming?
Yes, you can go swimming 6 weeks after your procedure if your feeding tube is new.
Can I have a shower?
Yes, you can shower from the following day after your procedure if your feeding tube is new.
Contact numbers
Community Dietitians - 0161 206 2350
Abbott Nutrition Nurse Advisor - 0800 018 3799 (24hrs helpline)
Interventional Radiology at Salford Royal - 0161 206 2206
Hospital Nutrition nurse at Salford - 0161 206 1437
Interventional Radiology at Royal Oldham - 0161 778 5414
Date of Review: September 2024
Date of Next Review: September 2026
Ref No: PI_DP_1312 (NCA)