A majority of tube-fed patients are on medications that require special precautions

Many patients in general hospitals receive food and medication through enteral feeding tubes. Although common in clinical practice, this form of medication delivery is not always effective or safe and can lead to interactions, altered bioavailability, reduced absorption due to drug-nutrient interaction, altered pharmacokinetics, osmotic adverse effects due to sorbitol (a suspension vehicle) and tube blockage. Interactions with enteral feeding formulae are the commonest cause of drug interactions in tube-fed patients and are more likely in tube-fed patients. Here, Lonergan et al undertake a study in their institution to determine the prevalence of prescription of medications that required special precaution in tube-fed patients. They conclude that the main finding of their study was that almost one in 20 patients in a general hospital received their medications through enteral tubes, with widespread use of medications requiring special precautions or instructions for tube-fed patients.