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Knowing the types of enteral tube

Published
Topics: AdministeringEnteral tubes

This article covers types of enteral feeding tubes and factors affecting drug delivery, classified by tube terminal end location, bore size, and material.

This article forms part of a series
  1. How enteral feeding tubes affect medicines
    1. Knowing the types of enteral tube
    2. Choosing medicines for enteral tube administration
    3. Managing interactions between medicines and enteral feeds
    4. Administering a medicine through an enteral feeding tube
    5. Preventing and managing enteral feeding tube blockages
Contents
  1. Tube function
  2. Tube factors
  3. Tube terminal end location
    1. Stomach
    2. Duodenum
    3. Jejunum
  5. Tube bore size
  6. Tube material
  7. Update history

Tube function

Not all enteral feeding tubes are suitable for administering medicines.

Enteral tubes may be used to:   

  • administer nutritional feeds (feeding tubes)   
  • aspirate or drain fluids   

Some tubes have multiple lumens. In these cases, one lumen may be used for feeding and others are used for aspirating or draining fluids.  

Only use the feeding lumen to administer medicines. Never use the aspirating or draining lumen to give medicines. 

Tube factors

Several enteral feeding tube factors affect whether and how to administer a medicine. 

Consider the following tube factors before administering medicines via the enteral feeding tube.

Tube terminal end location

Where the enteral feeding tube ends will affect how the medicine is absorbed. 

Stomach

Tubes terminating in the stomach include: 

  • Nasogastric (NGT or NG) tubes which are small bore tubes entering through the nose 
  • Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) tubes which are small or large bore tubes entering through the abdominal wall 
  • Orogastric (OG) tubes which are small or large bore tubes entering through the mouth
  • Radiologically Inserted Gastrostomy (RIG) tubes which are large bore tubes entering through the abdominal wall 

Duodenum

Tubes terminating in the duodenum include: 

  • Nasoduodenal (NDT or ND) tubes which are small bore tubes entering through the nose

Jejunum

Tubes terminating in the jejunum tend to clog more easily than tubes terminating in the stomach, due to their length and narrower diameter.  

Tubes terminating in the jejunum include: 

  • Nasojejunal (NJT or NJ) tubes which are small bore tubes entering through the nose
  • Percutaneous Jejunostomy (PEJ) tubes which are small bore tubes entering through the abdominal wall
  • Percutaneous Gastro-Jejunal (PEG-J) tubes which are small bore tubes entering via the abdominal wall and passing through the stomach, 
  • Jejunostomy (JEJ) tubes which are small bore tubes surgically inserted via the abdominal wall

Tube bore size

Tube diameters are measured in ‘French’ (Fr) units. One Fr unit is 0.33mm. 

  • small bore tubes typically range from 5 to 12 Fr 
  • large bore tubes are those greater than 14 Fr 

This measurement refers to the external diameter of the tube. Internal bore size varies depending on the tube material.  

Do not rely on Fr size alone.  

Tube material

Tubes may be made from: 

  • silicone 
  • latex 
  • polyvinylchloride (PVC) 
  • polyurethane (PUR)  

Some medicines, such as carbamazepine oral suspension and diazepam may adsorb onto the tube material, reducing their bioavailability.  

Update history

  1. Republished
  1. Published

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