FAQs

Silicone balloons may last several months, but the life span of the balloon can be affected by several factors such as medicine, gastric pH, infection, and tube care.

It is recommended that you have a spare feeding tube available in case of accidental tube removal or failure. If the G Tube fails and you have been properly trained, you may replace the tube. If you have not been properly trained or your healthcare team prefers to replace the tube, you should contact them as soon as possible. The stoma may begin to close within 2-4 hours.

GJ and J Tubes cannot be replaced at home. If you think there is a leak or tube failure with one of these devices, contact your healthcare team immediately.

Proper tube flushing is the best way to avoid clogging the tube. This is especially true for GJ and J Tubes. Flush the tube with water every 4-6 hours during continuous feeding, before and after every intermittent or bolus feeding. If the tube is not being used, flush at least every 8 hours.

The feeding tube should also be flushed before and after each medicine, and after checking for stomach residuals. Medicine should be given in liquid form. If a medicine is only available in tablets or capsules, make sure it can be crushed and mixed with water. Medicine should not be mixed with formula. Never crush enteric-coated medication. Flush the port with water before and after giving medicine.

When flushing a tube, use water and a 20 ml or larger syringe. Do not use smaller sizes as this can increase pressure on the tube and could cause the tube to break. The amount of water used to flush the tube will depend on your needs, clinical condition, and type of tube. The average volume ranges from 10-50 ml for adults, and 3-10 ml for children. Do not use too much force when flushing the tube as this can break the tube and can cause injury to the gastrointestinal tract.

Often, a clog in a tube can be fixed at home. If the tube is a low-profile tube, connect an extension set to the feeding port. Attach a 20 ml or larger syringe, filled with warm water, onto the extension set. Gently pull back on the syringe, then push the plunger to dislodge the clog.

If the clog remains, repeat this step. Gentle suction alternating with syringe pressure will help get rid of most clogs. If this fails, contact your healthcare team. They may recommend a solution to help get rid of the clog. Do not use cranberry juice, cola drinks, meat tenderiser, or chymotrypsin, as these can actually make the clog worse.

If the clog is stubborn and cannot be removed, the tube will have to be replaced.

NOTE: The low-profile G Tubes rarely clog. GJ and J Tubes need good flushing techniques to prevent clogging.

If water cannot be removed from the balloon with the slip-tip syringe, clean the valve in the balloon port. Sometimes this valve is blocked by a build-up of dried nutrition or drainage. A cotton-tip applicator and water is one way to clean the valve in the balloon port. After cleaning the valve in the balloon port, then firmly put the slip-tip syringe into the valve, push and twist a quarter turn. Try pulling on the plunger again. If the balloon will not deflate and you have a G Tube that you have been trained on how to replace, use the end of a large paper clip to open the valve and release the water. Replace your G Tube as instructed. For balloon issues with GJ or J Tubes, contact your healthcare team.

Correct position of the body is important to avoid aspiration of stomach contents through the oesophagus and potentially into the lungs. When tube feeding, maintain an upright position or at least at a 30-degree angle during, and one hour after feeding.

When using the decompression system with a feeding pump, the flow of nutrition or feeding is controlled by gravity. This may mean that blockages which are normally cleared by the pump, may not be cleared. If a blockage does occur, formula or feeding will travel up the tubing into the flexible plastic bag (decompression bag).

If the decompression bag is starting to fill up with formula or feeding and doesn’t flow back into the body, there might be a blockage. If this is the case, close the white roller clamp located below the flexible plastic bag and wait for about 5 minutes to see if the pump can remove the blockage.

If the blockage cannot be removed by the pump, clamp and disconnect the decompression system before clearing the blockage in the usual way. The decompression system can be reconnected once the blockage has been removed. Use the white roller clamp on the decompression system to control the rate at which the formula or feeding is fed back into the body. The height of the bag may also be lowered to prevent the contents flowing back into the body too quickly.