Facts About Silicone Feeding Tube

Trying to take care of a baby is a task fraught with danger. The new mother is sure to feel anxious every single moment. Even an innocuous thing such as feeding the baby becomes a huge task. The NICU or the ‘neonatal intensive care unit’ is usually a buzz of activity with multiple pre-term or ill babies being taken care of simultaneously. The very sight of the hapless young infants lying with needles and tubes stuck into their frail bodies is enough to make an individual uncomfortable.

Using ENFit compliant connectors is a must when the tiny babies need to be fed by means of an enteral tube. This can go a long way in preventing misconnection thereby avoiding a situation that may turn out to be fatal for the infant. The care givers working for long hours at the unit are often harried and overworked. It is natural enough for them to grab the first tube from the cart without thinking. Proper knowledge about specific types and usage of a silicone feeding tube can definitely help to provide the right care. However, the ENFit connectors and syringes certainly play their part to safeguard the patients and may even save the concerned facility as well as the caregiver from being sued for medical negligence.

The nurses are skilled enough to employ a PVC feeding tube for a short period that seldom exceeds three days. However, the top medical facilities insist on using the long term silicon tubes that happen to be extremely soft and pliable albeit a trifle more expensive than the PVC tubes. That does not mean that such tubes are totally foolproof, however. On the contrary, the caregivers working in the NICU often complain about the tube being too pliable to handle correctly. While it may make the baby comfortable, its pliability makes it difficult to be placed perfectly. Pulling too hard may end in having the lumen collapse thereby creating additional work for the concerned caregiver.

It is not only about feeding a pre-term baby though. Care must also be taken while selecting the needles. It is extremely vital to know that a vented syringe happens to be one with opening on its side and is utilized for administering potent medication in the powdered form. Sure, a powder cannot be administered by means of a needle or syringe though and needs to be reconstituted or mixed thoroughly with a diluent (a liquid) before being pushed into the body.

Whether it is enteral tubes, connectors or syringes, the facilities and hospitals need to source them directly from a top manufacturer who is known to sell only quality products. The best sellers make sure to stock only FDA approved equipment with ENFit connectors and syringes that will not be compatible with the Luer connections. Comfortability is definitely an aspect that is taken care of while manufacturing long tern feeding tubes made out of PVC, Silicon or Polyurethane.