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Self‐Insertion of a Nasogastric Tube for Home Enteral Nutrition
Author(s) -
Quilliot Didier,
Zallot Camille,
Malgras Aurélie,
Germain Adeline,
Bresler Laurent,
Ayav Ahmet,
Bigard MarcAndré,
PeyrinBiroulet Laurent,
Ziegler Olivier
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of parenteral and enteral nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.935
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 1941-2444
pISSN - 0148-6071
DOI - 10.1177/0148607113502544
Subject(s) - medicine , discontinuation , interquartile range , tolerability , parenteral nutrition , contraindication , feeding tube , nausea , surgery , enteral administration , adverse effect , alternative medicine , pathology
Background: Enteral tube feeding can be a source of discomfort and reluctance from patients. We evaluated for the first time the tolerability of self‐insertion of a nasogastric (NG) tube for home enteral nutrition (EN). Materials and Methods : All patients requiring enteral tube feeding for chronic diseases were enrolled in a therapeutic patient education (TPE) program at Nancy University Hospital. Results : In our department, between November 2008 and August 2012, 66 patients received EN with an NG tube. Twenty‐nine of 66 had self‐insertion of the NG tube (median age, 44 years), 17 had an anatomical contraindication, and 20 were excluded because of cognitive disability or language barrier or refusal. Twenty‐eight of 29 patients completed the TPE program. One patient died of pancreatic cancer in palliative care during the study. Median follow‐up was 20 months (interquartile range [IQR], 4–31). Median gain weight was 3.1 kg (IQR, 1.8–6.0) ( P = .0002). Median duration of self‐insertion of the NG tube was 3 months (IQR, 2–5), and it was well tolerated by all 29 patients. Two patients described minor adverse events: abdominal pain and nausea for 1 patient and epistaxis leading to temporary discontinuation of EN for another patient. A group of 10 consecutive patients previously had a long‐term NG tube for EN. If they had the choice between a self‐inserted NG tube and a long‐term NG tube, all 10 patients reported they would prefer to start again with the self‐inserted NG tube. Conclusion : This pilot study suggests that self‐insertion of an NG tube may be efficacious and well tolerated in patients receiving EN for chronic conditions.