Abstract

To evaluate the current practices of the tube feeding and the status of tube feeding patient 76 adult in-patients at 6 hospitals located in Seoul and Chung-buk province were examined through reviewing patient charts observing patients and interviewing patients nurses dietitians patients' family or care-givers. The results were as follows : 1) An average age of the patients was 54.5 years with 41% over 60 years old. Patients with decreased mental status dysphagia esophageal obstruction and respiratory problem were fed by tubes. 2) The range of duration of tube feeding is between 4 days and 6 years. Most patients were received formula through nasogastric tube(89.5%) while 7.9% of gastrostomy and 2.6% of jejunostomy. Administration method for formula were bolus feeding regardless of the route of formula delivery. 3) Mean total calories received for men were 1590 kcal and 1450 kcal for female. Mean volume per meal was 282m, l and mean frequency of feeding was 5.68 while mean feeding interval 3$\frac{1}{4}$ hours and mean rate of infusion 68.4ml/min. All patients received hospital-blenderi-zed formula as the major source of nutrition. Home-blenderized formula and commercial formula as a supplement were used 35%, 13.2% respectively. 4) Thirty-eight percent of patients was hypoalbuminemia and 61% was at the moderate level of deficiency in hemoglobin. 5) Complications associated with tube feeding were diarrhea (22.4%) constipation(21.1%) vomiting(11.8%) and so on. 6) Serum albumin levels of patients who have complications associated with tube feeding were significantly lower than those of patients without complications In planning a tube feeding regimen the type of a formula must be integrated with both a delivery system and a protocol for administering the tube feeding. the multidisciplinary effort required to deliver enteral therapy is essential to improve current practices used at hospitals.

Keywords

• tube feeding;
• bolus feeding;
• blenderized formula