triple lumen feeding tubes

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Long Term Facilitly.

Maybe I should know this..but I don't...and I can't find any literature on this. If a patient has a triple lumen feeding tube...first g-tube...second J tube...and I think third is BAL...Which site is used for the feeding. I have always been told the J tube, due to this type of tubing is used when a patient has difficulty with gastro feeding. And the G-tube used for the medication and the BAL is to left alone. NO MD order present...which should be...but none. And not my patient but overheard the other nurses talking about which one to used...and they all told the nurse in charge of the patient to use the G-Tube. I disagreed stating what i did above....but more importantly said to call the MD to get an order. I guess she decided to use G-tube. So.....does anyone have correct answer other than the real one which is to get an order. Patient has been in facility for over two weeks and it seems funny to me no one has clarified this.

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Specializes in DD, Community nursing.

By coincidence, I have a community based patient discharging with a new one of these today. The Gastrostomy port should be used for medication (and med flushing.) You can also use it to vent air from the patient's stomach and/or aspirate stomach residual. The Jujostomy port should only be used for feeding. Generally the person will be on a low rate (not more than 50cc/hr) continual feeding with a water flush. You will want to get them on a pump, Kangaroo is a common brand. The pump ideally will allow for continuous feeding with water bolus, like the Joey model does. Finally, the "Bal" port inflates a balloon that secures the device. DON'T mess with it.

And it is probably best to have the MD explicitly state this on the orders.

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Specializes in home health, dialysis, others.

please google 'triple lumen gastrostomy tube'

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Specializes in ..

Might it not depend on the patient? I work with profoundly disabled kids and most of them have a gastrostomy button (so a G tube.) The kids that have the J tube or the double button with a G & a J generally are fed via the J because they've had problems feeding at stomach level, where the g-tube goes in. The BAL port is the balloon, similar to how you secure a foley cath. It's definitely not for feeding.

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If the pt has a J-tube, he should receive his feedings through that (this was probably inserted due to aspiration risks and this pt should receive his feeding through a pump as Larry the nurse stated).

The G-tube can be used for decompression of gastric contents, and also can be used for medications. You can medicate via a J-tube but you may run in to some absorption issues depending on what medication the pt is on.

The balloon is used to secure the tube in place (much like a Foley) and should not be messed with.

You should definitely have the doc verify all of this to protect the pt and cover yourself!

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please google 'triple lumen gastrostomy tube'

whole lotta help there

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Specializes in Pedi.
whole lotta help there

Um, this topic is over 8 years old and the poster you're quoting hasn't signed on in 8 years.

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