Jesse C. James, CNSC, Williamson Medical Center, Franklin, TN 37067
Feeding tubes (Tubes) are used to deliver enteral nutrition to patients who are unable to safely ingest nutrients and medications orally, a population at elevated risk of malnutrition and dehydration. Unfortunately, these Tubes have a propensity for becoming clogged. Staff will attempt to unclog Tubes using standard bedside techniques including warm water flushes or chemical enzymes. However, not only are these practices time-consuming, often they are unsuccessful, and the Tube requires replacement. Our facility (Level
2, Williamson Medical Center, Franklin, TN) evaluated an alternative Tube declogging methodology from September 2021 – July 2023. The TubeClear® System
(TubeClear, Actuated Medical, Inc., Bellefonte, PA, see Figure 1) was developed to resolve clogs from various indwelling
Tubes. Study objectives were to explore TubeClear’s ability to unclog indwelling Tubes and monitor any potential safety issues.
The TubeClear System is a game changer for clearing blocked NG tubes. Its simple design and ease of use make it a musthave
tool for medical professionals involved with
feeding tubes.
