In-Home Nasogastric Catheterization
In-home nasogastric catheterization is the service provided at your home by our specialist physicians in order to provide nutrition to patients who have difficulty in chewing and swallowing.
What is In-Home Nasogastric Catheterization?
In-home nasogastric catheterization, The catheter that is pushed in from the nose to the stomach in order to provide nutrition to patients with chewing and swallowing difficulties is called as nasogastric catheter or feeding tube, while the process of placing the catheter is called as feeding tube application.
In-Home Nasogastric Catheterization
The patients who continue their home treatments and cannot be fed orally for a long time may be supported with nasogastric catheterization. Nasogastric catheter or feeding tube application must definitely be performed by a physician or an experienced nurse.
Which Patients Need In-Home Nasogastric Catheterization?
Feeding tube (nasogastric catheter) can be applied in case of many diseases and to many patients who cannot be fed orally for more than 3 days and who have aspiration risk due to chewing or swallowing difficulties.
How Often a Nasogastric Catheter Should Be Replaced?
The duration of nasogastric catheter on the patient varies according to the type of the catheter inserted. The average stay time of the silicone tube, which is generally used as a feeding tube, is 30 days. During this 30-days period, the nurse who pays regular home visits takes care of the patient and supplements the food.
Although the nasogastric catheter is planned to remain in place for up to 30 days under normal conditions, the catheter may be accidentally removed in elderly patients with impaired consciousness or compliance problems. In this case, the nasogastric tube may need to be replaced. If the tube comes off, the home healthcare physician or nurse will pay a home visit to replace the nasogastric tube.
The Manner of In-Home Nasogastric Catheterization
- First of all, a physician evaluates the situation to make sure whether the patient is suitable for being fed through a nasogastric tube. In-home nasogastric catheterization may not be performed if the patient’s relatives want the catheter to be placed but there is no physician approval.
- For in-home nasogastric catheterization, patient’s relatives must make a request from an institution that provides home health services.
- After getting the approval and scheduling, an in-home healthcare physician or an nurse pays a visit to the patient’s home to insert a nasogastric tube (feeding tube).
- The physician or nurse who visits home first informs the patient/patient’s relatives regarding the details of the procedure to be performed.
- The equipment such as gloves, NG tube, gel, injector, plaster tape are prepared for nasogastric catheterization.
- The patient is positioned with an approximate angle of 30-45 degrees. The patient lays on his/her side if taking an upright body position is not possible.
- Prior to the catheterization, the physician or nurse must determine the level of insertion of the nasogastric catheter (feeding tube) into the stomach from the marking area on the catheter.
- While placing the catheter, the patient’s chest area is covered with a cover in and an emesis basin is placed under the chin against the fluids that may come through the nose or mouth. Patient’s denture, if any, is removed.
- The physician or nurse uses a lubricating gel to ensure that the feeding tube proceeds smoothly from the nose to the stomach.
- A nasogastric catheter (feeding tube) is slowly advanced from the nose to the stomach. The patient may get nervous as the catheter advances. The physician or nurse ensures that the nasogastric catheter reaches the stomach with slow movements. The patient may use hand gestures to tell that he/she wants to stop during the procedure.
- The tube moves down easier if the patient swallows while the catheter advances during the nasogastric catheterization.
- In order to check whether the catheter pushed in to the desired level comes to the stomach or not, an injector is attached to the end of the catheter and the plunger is pulled back to some extent. It is expected for the stomach fluid to come into the injector. If there is no fluid coming out, some air is pumped into the stomach with an injector and the air pumped is listened with a stethoscope.
- Then, the tube must be fixed to the nose with a plaster tape, so that the feeding tube does not come out. Necessary care must be taken for the patch not to interfere with breathing through the nose.
In-Home Nasogastric Catheterization | Removal of the Feeding Tube
If it is decided by the physician for the nasogastric catheter to be removed, initially the nurse informs the patient/patient’s relatives about the procedure to be performed. Then the adhesive tape is removed from the nose. During this procedure, a cover is placed on the patient’s chest against any fluids that may flow out. The tube is removed by pulling out. Once the feeding tube is removed, the patient is may lie in a comfortable position.
What Should Be Paid Attention to Following an In-Home Nasogastric Catheterization?
In-home healthcare physician or nurse makes all checks after the Nasogastric Catheterization. During the ongoing process, the physician or nurse informs the patient’s relatives about the routine and emergency procedures to be followed. The procedures such as how to replace the tape on the nose if it gets loose and how to feed the patient are described. Since there will be no oral feeding, oral care against dry mouth and chapped lips is explained. The family is informed about how to check whether the feeding tube is in place or not.
You can get more information about our physicians and make a request for our services by calling the Medical Center Home Care Center service line.
Which Doctor Service Would You Like To Get?
Choose one of the home doctor services for your needs or a relative, share it with us with your contact information. Let our health education consultants call you as soon as possible.
