The ideal way to get enough food is by eating normally—put the food in your mouth, chew it well and swallow. The food is absorbed naturally, using a functional gastrointestinal tract to meet nutritional needs. This is also the least expensive method of nutritional support.
But there are times when normal eating just isn't practical. You may not be able to swallow. You might be suffering through a bout of nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Your mouth, throat, esophagus or stomach might be so inflamed that you can neither chew nor swallow. You might also have some obstruction or irritation in the gastrointestinal tract.
These kinds of problems are not unusual after surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy . And it is when you have these kinds of problems that the possibility of malnutrition becomes a critical concern. Your body must somehow get enough nutrients.
Enteral Nutrition As long as your stomach and bowel are still working properly, enteral—or tube—feedings can be a practical and low-cost way of providing good nutrition.
Feeding tubes can be placed:
• through your mouth (orogastric);
• through your nose (nasogastric); or
• directly into your stomach through the abdominal wall (gastrostomy) or the small bowel (jejunostomy). This
can be done during or after surgery, when the need for high-calorie and high-protein nutrition is most critical.
