Hi, my name is Amy Long Carrera, Corporate Dietitian at Shield HealthCare.
Today, we're going to talk about how to gravity feed.
Gravity feeding is a way to deliver formula into your feeding tube, using a gravity bag.
This method delivers formula more slowly through your feeding tube than the syringe method.
or the "bolus" feeding method. That's because you use a feeding bag
that has a roller clamp on the tubing to control the rate of formula. Most people
that gravity feed take a meal every few hours during the day, with each meal
lasting about 30 to 60 minutes. To gravity feed, you will need: a 60 mL
"catheter tip" or "oral" syringe, a cup of room temperature water, the formula,
a gravity feeding bag, and an IV pole.
Always wash your hands before handling the tube
or any supplies. If you have a low profile feeding tube, the first thing you need to do
is prime the extension set before attaching it to the feeding tube.
Priming the extension set removes any air that could otherwise enter your
stomach and cause discomfort. The first thing you'll do is to remove the plunger
from the syringe and attach the syringe to your extension tube.
Pour in 10-15 mL of water, and allow it to flow just to the end of the tubing.
Next, clamp the extension tubing. Now you're ready to attach it to your
feeding tube. If you have a regular gastrostomy tube, flush your tube with water.
This will help to push anything through that might be stuck in the tubes from
your previous feeding. To flush your tube with water: remove the plunger from the syringe. Next, take
your syringe and attach it to your feeding tube. Now you'll pour in 10 to 15 mL
of water into the syringe, and let it flow through your tube.
Now go ahead and grab your formula container. You'll want to shake it and clean off the top
before you open it. First, close the clamp on the gravity feeding bag. Open the bag,
and pour in the desired amount of formula. You'll want to carefully squeeze the air
out of the bag before you close it. Go ahead and hang the bag on the IV pole.
The next thing we want to do is prime the bag's tubing to remove air. This will
prevent air in the tubing from going into your stomach and making you
uncomfortable. Slowly open the roller clamp, and allow the formula to flow until it
reaches the tip of the tubing. Now close the clamp, remove the cover on the tip of the
gravity bag's tubing. Now you'll attach the tip of the tubing to your feeding port.
Slowly open the roller clamp to start feeding. You can control the rate of
feeding by adjusting the roller clamp.
It should take between 30 to 60 minutes to deliver about 8 ounces of formula using the gravity feeding method. This depends on your tolerance. You can
speed up the feeding by opening the roller clamp, or you can slow it down by
closing the roller clamp on the tubing. You may need to slow down your formula
if you experience nausea or fullness during a feeding. You may also need to slow
down your formula if you have diarrhea or an upset stomach immediately after
feeding. When you're done feeding, remove the gravity bag tubing from your
feeding tube. Be sure to always flush your feeding tube with the amount of
water recommended by your doctor or your dietitian. Close the feeding port. If you
have a low profile feeding tube, remove the extension tubing. Be sure to always wash
your hands, and always wash and air dry all the equipment that you used. You can
refrigerate leftover formula for up to 24 hours. That's it for today.
Thanks for watching! For more tube feeding tips, visit our online community at
shieldhealthcare.com