By: Kevin Cleary
Healthy living has become synonymous with healthy eating. The social media, print media, health journals are all full of the super foods we should eat for maintaining good health. It is all doable as long as we have the ability to orally ingest, chew and digest all those nutritious foods. What happens if we can't do that ? We often times take for granted our body’s ability to intake food and nutrients.
Many times due to a health issues such as a spinal cord injury, stroke, or some
other type of trauma or disease, we may not be able to swallow properly or
safely to ingest food and nutrients. When this happens we need to find a
suitable substitute for administering vital proteins, vitamins, and other
nutrients. This is where the Kimberly-Clark Gastrostomy Feeding Tube enters the
equation. It allows a caretaker or patient to administer vital nourishment the
body needs.
Need for a Feeding Tube
A feeding tube allows important nutrition to be
administered directly to the stomach via a procedure called a percutaneous
endoscopic gastrostomy or a PEG. Depending on your individual case, you may
still be encouraged to ingest orally, but that needs to come from your doctor.
The Kimberly-Clark Gastrostomy Feeding Tube makes administering nutrition as
well as medication overtly obvious with different labeled ports.
The Anatomy of a Feeding Tube
As with anything, being able to properly use something can
only benefit and make things easier by understanding its parts and how it
works. The Kimberly-Clark Gastrostomy Feeding Tube is no different. Some of its
specifications include:
- Medical grade silicone construction
- 3 clearly marked ports (balloon, feeding, and medication ports)
- Internal retention balloon and external retention ring
- Recessed and tapered distal tip with dual exit port
- 9 ½ inch length
These
specifications make this an easy to use feeding tube as well as increasing
patient comfort during insertion. The ventilated external ring allows air to
circulate around the stoma site with 360° pressure relief in addition to
holding the feeding tube itself. This unique design allows for less irritation
of the gastric wall as well as minimizing erosion. The retention balloon safely
and securely holds the feeding tube in the stomach and incorporates an
anti-reflux valve to prevent food from leaking out of the stomach when not in
use. These feeding tubes are available in a variety of tip sizes and are
color-coded accordingly. This is not a one-size-fits-all apparatus; each
patient’s needs are different and specific to their own case. This way comfort
and ease of use are maximized. Below is the size chart and color code:
Preventive Maintenance for Longevity
Even
though the Kimberly-Clark Gastrostomy Feeding Tube is simple to use, regular
daily cleaning can prolong the use of each tube and therefore make it more
economical. Obviously, care to keep the skin around the tube and stoma site
clean are critical to minimizing the risk of infection. Bacteria and germs are
your enemies!! A wash in warm soapy water followed by a simple rinse and air
dry is all that is necessary to keep the assembly clean and functioning. Care
should be taken to clean the anti-reflux valve in order to keep it operating
properly. Cleaning the extension set is simple just using a cotton-tipped
applicator immediately after each use. Not only will keeping the gastrostomy
feeding tube clean from bacteria avoid serious medical issues down the road, it
can minimize replacement and cost.
Whatever the reason for a feeding tube, The Kimberly-Clark
Gastrostomy Feeding Tube is an easy to use and simple to maintain option. With
its snug for, the need to minimize activity is diminished and your doctor will
work with you to precisely fit the apparatus to your specific needs. Quality of
life and peace of mind have never been simpler.
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