Nasoenteral feeding tube placement: indications and nurse skills

Abstract

Nutrition therapy (NT) is a powerful tool to assist the patients' nutritional needs mainly in the ICU, where the patients usually have high energy expenditures. The route mostly used for NT is the nasoenteral feeding tube (NFT), being easier and with lower costs. It can be accomplished by the nursing staff under direct vision by the nasal route (after training) or through endoscopy. The nasoenteral insertion is not free from complications, and these can be classified as: mechanics (obstruction of the probe, accidental exit, migration of the tube), infectious and psychological (anxiety, depression). The NFT is suitable for small and medium periods of NT (about 6 weeks).