Medications by enteral tube challenges

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hello,

Medications by enteral tube!..

The EB application of this practice is challenging. Nurses in our country perceive it as time wasting and unpractical. Any methods to improve the application of this practice?

Thank you

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

What are the challenges that you encounter?

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Challenges include:

1-crushing each medication alone

2-flushing between each drug

3-interrupting the feeding frquently (some time 6 hours per day)

4-giving large amount of fluids

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Specializes in critical care.

What meds are you giving that stop the enteral feedings for 6 hours?

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Certain medications like Phenytoin, calcium supplemets, PPI, oral antivitamine K, prokinetic agents, thyroid hormones when given through enteral tube, entral feeding shall be stopped 30 minutes to 1 hour before and after administration. If your patient has a combination of drugs that needs stopping of feeding, your patient will end up by loosing about 6 and more hours of enteral feeding.

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Specializes in Surgical, quality,management.

Talk to your dietician about the option of bolus feeding.

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Specializes in critical care.

Weird. Perhaps I haven't had someone on a med that required stopping. Is it to make sure they take it on an empty stomach? Bolus feedings or increasing the rate over the day makes sense, I would think. Really, if this is inpatient management, a dietitian and pharmacy need to get involved and sort it out.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Clients I have even on continuous feeds are never more than 20hrs. "Empty stomach" medications are timed around the stop usually 60 minutes pre, 30 minutes post. Thyroid mess are once daily. GI meds are once or twice daily. Antibiotics orders take continuous feed into consideration.

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