What You Should Know About a Feeding Pump Machine
Feeding pump machines play a crucial role in providing nutritional support, delivering medications, and reducing the risk of aspiration in patients who are unable to eat or drink normally. Here are some things you should know about these important pieces of medical equipment.
Uncap your MIC-KEY feeding tube and put the extension set over it. Line up the black lines and push firmly until it locks in place.
Providing Nutrition
A feeding pump machine can provide nutrition, medications, fluids, and help reduce the risk of aspiration for patients who are unable to eat or drink by mouth. It delivers nutrition through a tube that is inserted into the patient’s gastrointestinal tract, most commonly a nasogastric tube. The feeding tube goes into the nostril, through the throat and down the esophagus and stomach to deliver food, liquids and medications to the patient.
The pump can also be set to deliver a continuous flow of liquids or a timed rate that mimics the patient’s normal eating pattern. This allows the patient to remain more mobile and active while receiving their enteral nutrition.
Before each use, the patient should open their feeding port and flush it by slowly pushing on the syringe’s plunger to clear out formula or medication residual to prevent clogging the tube. They should also wash their hands and the equipment before and after each use to avoid contamination. They should also hang their feeding bag on a pole at least 18 inches above them or in a backpack to help minimize the risk of aspiration.
The pump is also available in multichannel models, which can administer different types of solutions simultaneously through separate channels. This makes them ideal for patients who feeding pump machine require several medications or nutritional supplements at the same time. Moreover, the pump is portable and lightweight, which means that patients can use it at home and maintain their quality of life and mobility.
Medications
Enteral feeding pumps are more than just a way to supply liquid nutrition through a tube that goes to the stomach or intestines. They also allow patients to receive medication through the same tube. This is important because some individuals with disabilities, like cerebral palsy and others, cannot swallow pills and have to take medication through a feeding tube.
The type of medication and how it is taken will depend on the individual’s medical history. Some individuals will have to take multiple medications a day. Crushing tablets is a common way of taking medication through a tube, but it can increase the risk of tubing blockage and loss of the pill.
Medications can be supplied through a pump using either bolus or intermittent feeds. Both are similar to gravity feeds, but use a special device to control the amount of formula fed. Using the device can make it easier for you to get the correct dose and keep track of how much medicine you are taking.
Before you start the pump, make sure to connect the feeding bag tubing to your tube and the button adapter (or nasogastric or gastrostomy tube). It is best to connect with tape to ensure that the connection is firmly made. Using a 20 mL or larger syringe, flush the tube with lukewarm water. This will help to remove any air that may be in the tube.
Keeping Patients Continuously Feeding
Feeding pump machines are very useful for patients that can’t or shouldn’t eat and drink normally. These devices are capable of providing the vitamins, minerals, nutrients, amino acids, probiotics, and nourishment that patients need to survive and recover.
There are three main types of feeding pumps: peristaltic, volumetric and syringe. Each type offers different features that make them suitable for specific patient needs. Peristaltic pumps use a rolling mechanism to push liquid through tubing at a controlled rate. They can be used to deliver both intermittent and continuous feeds. Volumetric pumps offer more precise control over infusion rates and are typically used to deliver medications or nutrition through a feeding pump machine wholesale tube into the stomach. Syringe pumps are more user-friendly, and can be used to administer intermittent and bolus feedings.
Regardless of the feeding pump method used, it is important to keep patients mobile throughout the day and avoid sedating them during feedings or medications. The tube should be hung 2 to 3 feet (0.6 to 0.9 meters) above the patient on an IV pole or hook, and should be placed close to a chair or bed to ensure easy access to it. It is important to flush the tube at a minimum of once per shift and before and after every administration of medication or feed. It is also necessary to regularly trace tubing connections back to their insertion site and verify that they are clean.
Keeping Patients Safe from Aspiration
Using a feeding pump machine, patients can get the nutrition, medication and fluids they need to recover from their conditions. These pumps also help prevent aspiration, which occurs when food or liquid enters the airway instead of the esophagus, during eating, drinking or tube feeding. Aspiration can cause pneumonia, respiratory infections and other serious health complications.
The most common type of enteral feeding pump is the nasogastric tube, which is surgically inserted into the nose and down the throat into the stomach. Other types of tubes include gastrostomy and jejunostomy tubes, which are surgically inserted into the stomach and small intestine respectively.
These pumps are used to deliver more than just nutrients, as they can deliver medications and antibiotics to the patient along with their feed. They also allow the nurses to monitor patients continuously and ensure that the patient is hydrated.
Some of the more advanced feeding pump machines may come with a touchscreen interface, wireless connectivity and electronic medical record integration. Other features include alarms that alert healthcare providers to occlusions, battery or pump completion and other relevant warnings. Lastly, some pumps may be equipped with a rotating pole clamp (ABC0015990, sold separately) for easier syringe loading and unloading. These features can improve the consistency and accuracy of enteral feeding pumps to help protect patient safety.