There is also a technique called percutaneous gastrostomy that allows a stomach tube to be placed through the skin into the stomach without the need for surgery.
Oral and Enteral Formulas Obviously, solid food can't be delivered to your stomach or jejunum through a tube. So you will need enteral feeding formulas that can be prepared by pureeing food, or you can buy any of the nutritionally complete formulas your physician or nutritionist might prescribe. Which formula to use depends on your individual situation. There are special formulas for lactose intolerance (lactose-free) and for high-calorie, high-protein intake. Or you may need a low-residue and/or chemically defined liquid diet.
• Ensure, Resource, Sustacal and Meritine are soy-based, lactose-free, low-residue, high-calorie, high-protein
supplements in beverage form.
• Lactose-free (unflavored) supplements used mainly for tube feeding diets include Nutren, Isocal, Osmolite and
Jevity. All except Jevity are also low residue.
• Vital-HN, Vivonex-TEN and Peptamen are low-residue, lactose-free chemically defined diets with hydrolyzed
protein and crystalline amino acids and/or dipeptides. These are useful when you have malabsorption
problems or an inflammatory disease like gastroenteritis.
• Glucerna is a special supplement used for tube feedings for diabetics.
Side Effects of Enteral Feeding Though effective in delivering enough nutrition, feedings through nasogastric tubes can produce some side effects.
