Tube displacement or accidental disconnect: do not try to reinsert it, contact the nurse.

Vomiting: you should place your family member in a lateral position to avoid aspiration of fluids to the lungs. Suspend feeding and contact the nurse.

Diarrhoea: avoid giving fibre-rich food, namely green vegetables, vegetables, fruits, beans and sweet food.

Constipation (bowel blockage): The intestine works best if you can keep schedules for meals and intestinal evacuation.

Tips: 1) Daily and before bathing, place the palm of your hand on the abdominal region of your family member and apply a massage on clockwise motion. 2) With your family member lying on his/her back, hold his/her legs, stretch and bend them over the belly. The induced pressure will help stimulate the large intestine to produce a bowel movement. 3) The fibre-rich foods such as green vegetables, vegetables, orange, pineapple, plum and kiwi will improve intestinal functioning. 4) Food such as banana, apple and black tea should be avoided if the patient has bowel blockage.

 

Recommendations:

Hygiene precautions when preparing feeding though tube: wash your hands when preparing the food and before feeding the person. Use water and soap to clean utensils, including the feeding syringe. Rinse with running water and dry thoroughly.

Suspend feeding and contact the nurse if: 1) the gastric residue is greenish or reddish; 2) one hour after the assessment of the gastric residue, the amount of the remaining residue exceeds more than half of the last ingested meal; 3) your family member experiences nausea, vomiting, pain or abdominal distension (swollen belly); 4) the tube is clogged.

Fluid intake is important between meals: Your family member must drink 6 to 8 glasses of fluid per day (water, herbal tea, milk or fruit juice) injected through the nasogastric tube, between meals.

If your family member has been diagnosed with kidney or heart disease, the amount of fluid intake must be prescribed by the physician.

Avoid tube from clogging: 1) prepare meal according to health professionals prescriptions; 2) wash the tube after each meal; 3) cook the food and prepare it to be soft in consistency; 4) make sure that the tube is patent by flushing it with 20 to 30ml of tepid water.

 

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