Long-term Home Enteral Nutrition: Feeding Tube-related Complications and Problems in old age Patients.

The highest infusion therapy at home nowadays is tube feeding or Home enteral Nutrition (HEN) normally used in patient who have a functional gastrointestinal tract but are unable to meet their nutrient requirement through oral intake. This study aim was to evaluate the long-term complications, pathogens and problems related to gastrostomy and jejunostomy feeding tubes used for home enteral nutrition support and the effect these have on health care use. This was retrospectively study among 50 patients (28 having gastrostomy and 22 with jejunostomy) who have been discharged on long-term (>2 months) enteral nutrition and followed up at regular intervals by a nurse. Data were collected and analyzed on complication associated with tube feeding as well as the intervention for a period of six months. From this study it was found that 28 (55.1%) of the participant frequently removes the tube, 23 (46.6%) tube leakage, and 18 (36.4%) had dermatitis of the stoma. Some of the patient 8 (16.4%) developed diarrhea which was seen due to pathogens causing diarrhoea in which Escherichia coli emerged the highest at 5 (30%) even though it is classified as non-pathogenic organism but can enhance other pathogen infection, followed by Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp. at 4 (25%) and lastly Campylobacter spp. at 2 (12%). From this study it was found that most of our patients receiving long-term home enteral nutrition feeding tube-related complications are frequently expose themselves to common pathogens which may lead to other complication to them. Therefore, further studies are needed to address their optimal prevention modalities and management.