Living with your feeding tube

Your healthcare professional has recommended a feeding tube for you or the person you care for.

Living with a feeding tube involves many different pieces of equipment and there are different methods of receiving your enteral nutrition. All the equipment you need to start tube feeding at home will be given to you by your healthcare team, who will also explain how to use it. You will receive your enteral nutrition either via a feeding pump, by bolus feeding, or by gravity drip feeding. Find out more about each below.

Your healthcare professional will recommend the type of feeding tube and enteral nutrition product that's best for you, based on your nutritional requirments and circumstances.

You will have one of the following feeding tubes:

  • Nasogastric tube (NG) - inserted through the nose, down the oesophagus, and into the stomach
  • Nasojejunal tube (NJ) - also inserted through the nose, down the oesophagus, through the stomach, and into the small intestine (jejunum)
  • Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube (PEG) - inserted directly into the stomach through a small incision in the skin of the abdomen
  • Jejunostomy tube (JEJ) - inserted directly into the small intestine (jejunum) through a small incision in the skin of the abdomen.

Using a feeding pump your enteral nutrition will be administered through a giving set at a controlled rate over a period of 8 to 24 hours.

Flocare Infinity pump instructions for use

Flocare Infinity pump troubleshooting guide

Bolus feeding enables you to receive your enteral nutrition in smaller amounts throughout the day or night, using a 60ml enteral syringe or a bolus giving set.

Bolus giving set instructions for use

Gravity feeding allows you to administer a set volume of your enteral nutrition over 30-60 minutes several times a day, using a gravity giving set.

Gravity pack set instructions for use

This information is intended for patients who have been prescribed a tube feed by a healthcare professional.

Do you need support?

Contact our team of experts for guidance and support on the use and composition of the Nutricia product range. We are available Monday to Thursday 9am-5pm and Friday 9am-4pm (except Bank Holidays)

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