Feeding tubes are created to provide nutrients to patients who are sick or have swallowing complications. Specifically, they serve as a means of transporting liquid nutritional supplements to patients who cannot take in food or drinks by mouth. Medicine can also be administrated with the use of these medical devices.
Generally, the purpose of feeding tubes is to offer the most ill patients or those with serious conditions with a way to obtain nutrients that are necessary for recovery and survival. However, though these pieces of equipment are designed with good intentions in mind, there are still cons associated with their use. Here are some of them:
List of Pros of Feeding Tubes
1. They provide the nutrition that is needed.
No matter what a patient’s physical condition is, he must have the nutrients he needs for survival. Feeding tubes allow him to do this, as well as promote recovery and healing.
2. They are not permanent.
Feeding tubes are utilized in particular cases involving patients with unique treatment requirements. However, they are only used until the body is strong enough to get nourishments through consuming traditional food.
3. They take the stress from the affected family.
Deciding how you will feed someone who lost his ability to digest food properly is not an easy one, thus stressful. Fortunately, feeding tubes can take the stress from such a situation away, allowing the patient’s fate to rest in the hands of the professionals.
List of Cons of Feeding Tubes
1. They come with associated risks.
Fact is, it is very difficult to avoid the risk associated with using feeding tubes. For these devices to provide patients with nutrients, they require a certain procedure to take place. The tubes are inserted into an opening in the patient’s abdomen to the small intestines or the nose into the stomach, which means risks involved, such as infection. There are generally temporary feeding tubes, but in some cases, there are also permanent ones. Considering that incisions are involved in the procedure used, there is danger that it might get infected. What’s worse, infections can happen quickly in patients who are already so vulnerable and weak.
2. They are unnatural, but mechanical.
Feeding tubes involve a mechanical process that does not have the ability to communicate to the stomach that it is full. Sometimes, results can be fluid overflows, which can also lead to infection or even a back-up of fluid in the lungs.
3. They are uncomfortable to use.
These medical devices are not very comfortable for patients. In fact, some cases saw patients pulling out the tubes relentlessly. This can lead to patients who must be sedated to make sure the feeding tubes remain in place.
Conclusion
Feeding tubes can be used in various situations on different patients, but before you or your loved one is placed on them, it is best to be knowledgeable about them first. Remember that such decision is very difficult because not everything about them is beneficial. But with the pros and cons presented above, you can now make a well-informed decision.