How is the feeding through the probe?

When the patient is unable to eat normally, the doctor may prescribe an artificial food for him. It involves the introduction of nutrients through a probe, enema, or intravenously. Such nutrition is necessary when the usual is undesirable, for example, in order not to aggravate the patient's condition, when food can get into the respiratory tract or cause infection of the wounds after a recent operation.

You can deliver the food components in the body passively. One type of such delivery is feeding through the probe. Energy is consumed only at the digestion stage.

Through the spent probe the food is delivered from the mouth or nose cavity into the stomach. Also, the probe can be held so that one end remains free, leaving the holes created artificially.

Types

In medicine, there are several types of probes:

1. Nasogastric - when the probe is located through one of the nasal passages.
2. Gastral - established through the mouth.
3. Gastrostomy - creating artificial holes and holding a probe through them.
4. Eunostoma - placing one end of the device in the small intestine, and the other end remains free.

Probes are distinguished by diameter. Gastric is more, and since nutrition is more convenient to use with it, often feeding through a probe is performed with the help of this device. Additionally, a nasogastric tube is used, where it is not possible to use the first probe . The diameter of the gastrostomy is the same as that of the gastric, but it is shorter. And besides, you need to make additional holes to make feeding through the probe.

Indications

In order to have a need to conduct food with a probe, the patient should have certain indications:

• To consume food in the usual way is impossible;
• The stomach and intestines of the patient function normally.

Therefore, feeding through the probe is carried out by persons who are unconscious and weakened by the patient. Also, this procedure is prescribed if the patient can not swallow for various reasons. Feeding of the patient through the probe, in addition, is also carried out in cases where surgery has been carried out on the stomach or esophagus.

Positive effect

When the stomach and intestines work, but there is usually no possibility to eat as usual, then using the probe gives certain positive effects:

1. The lack of nutrients and energy substances, which are necessary for the body to function properly, is compensated.
2. Normal work of the intestine with this kind of feeding is ensured.
3. When food enters the stomach, and then into the intestines, the gastrointestinal tract continues to function.

Installation Rule

To feed through the probe was successful, you must follow certain rules. Establishing the probe, using and caring for it - it should all clearly comply with the instructions, so as not to harm even more to the patient who needs the named feeding.

The installation of the probe assumes its accurate entry into the required GI tract. Particular care should be taken when entering the respiratory tract. Therefore, during the procedure, you need to closely monitor the patient's condition. And then you should check if the location of the installation is correct. The test is carried out with air.

To do this, attach the Janet syringe to the piston, which is pulled out to the stop, to the free end of the probe. And on the area located just below the xiphoid process, put a phonendoscope. The pressure on the piston allows you to push the air into the probe. The splash, which will be heard through the phonendoscope, indicates the correctness of the probe.

It must be remembered that if something goes wrong, it will be impossible and feeding through the probe. The algorithm for introducing this tool for feeding is not difficult, but the installation process itself is very laborious. So, to introduce a probe to an exhausted person is not possible, because the stomach has almost no liquid.

Feeding the premature baby

If the child was born prematurely, depending on the degree of its development, artificial feeding may be prescribed if it does not yet have sucking and swallowing reflexes.

Feeding through a newborn's probe can be done in two ways:

1. Introduction is provided for the period of one feeding, and then it is extracted.
2. For multiple use, the device is inserted once and is not removed.

It is necessary to insert the probe very neatly into the newborn. Before this, you need to measure the distance from the bridge of the nose to the sternum. Before the introduction, it is necessary to pour a little milk into the tube for the subsequent verification that the installation went right.

Feeding the baby through the probe should be done very carefully. It is necessary to watch all the time so that the child does not choke and breathe freely. If during vomiting, vomiting has begun, then you need to turn the baby on the barrel and stop feeding. Later, when the child can swallow, it will be possible to give milk or a mixture through a pipette.

Feeding patients

Severely ill people require particularly careful care. When the appetite decreases and the chewing and swallowing movements become weak, it may be necessary to feed the seriously ill through the probe.

In such cases, it is important to select a balanced diet for the patient to not only maintain life in the body, but also to stimulate through nutrition the processes that can later affect the recovery of a person:

1. You need to enter food only with liquid. Feeding through the probe provides special preparations with a homogenized emulsion, with a balanced content of vitamins and minerals.
2. If substances from the introduced food are slowly digested, then you can make a nutritional enema. The principle of execution is the same as that of the purifying one, but instead of water, a nutrient composition is collected in the pear.

After the completion of the feeding procedure, the instruments for disinfection are disinfected, and the probe remains in the stomach for 4-5 days.

Consultation of a specialist is necessary

Do not perform the probe installation yourself, without prescribing a doctor. In addition, advice on this type of food should be provided by a medical professional, and all first manipulations with the probe should be monitored, correcting shortcomings and errors. But this is only if the patient is at home and he was assigned such care, which is usually rare.

When a person is a patient of a hospital, the nursing staff itself takes care of it. If a person who is absolutely unprepared for the implementation of such a procedure is engaged in this, then he can cause internal damages that will complicate the installation of the probe and lead to serious consequences.