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City College of San Francisco *
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Course
1A
Subject
Medicine
Date
Apr 3, 2024
Type
Pages
2
Uploaded by GrandMusicHyena29
Bolus G-Tube Feeding with Syringe by Gravity
When children cannot eat enough or receive
medication normally through their mouth, a surgeon or
pediatric gastroenterologist does a procedure called a
gastrostomy. A
gastrostomy
is the surgical procedure to
insert a tube through the abdomen (area that contains the
stomach, intestines, liver, and other organs) and into the
stomach. The tube or gastrostomy tube is also known as a
“
g-tube
.”
Children who can handle a feeding at one time can
be fed by a bolus feeding. The
bolus method
is given like a
meal and is a type of feeding that uses a syringe to deliver a
large amount of milk or a formula through the child’s
g-tube. It can take between 20 to 30 minutes to complete.
SUPPLIES
:
Extension set (already in place)
Water (warm)
5 or 10 mL syringe with plunger for water flush
60 mL feeding syringe without plunger
Formula (remember to rinse the top of the unopened
bottle/can)
STEPS
:
1.
After gathering supplies and positioning the
child in an upright or sitting position, wash
hands thoroughly.
2.
Attach the syringe with water to the extension
set that is in place by twisting the syringe
clockwise.
The extension set or extension tubing should be clamped and
look like the image to the right.
3.
Unclamp the extension tubing and “flush” 5-10
mL of warm water by pushing the plunger down
to prevent the g-tube from clogging.
Figure 1. (UC Davis Health, n.d.).
4.
Clamp the extension
tubing and remove the
syringe used to flush
water. Attach the feeding
syringe without a
plunger.
Figure 2. (Saint Luke’s Health System, n.d.).
5.
Pour the prescribed or desired amount of
formula/milk into the syringe.
Figure 3. (MSKCC, 2023).
6.
Unclamp the extension
set/tube and allow the
formula/milk to flow into the
g-tube by gravity (allows force
to pull the fluids downwards).
Figure 4. (Saint Luke’s Health System, n.d.)
NOTE
➔
You can adjust the flow rate by lifting the
syringe higher or lower. The higher you hold
the syringe, the faster the formula/milk flows.
➔
If the formula/milk isn’t flowing through the
tube, you can gently push using the plunger
that comes with the plastic syringe.
➔
Continue to add formula/milk before the
syringe empties to prevent air from entering
the tube and into the stomach.
7.
After finishing the prescribed or desired amount of
formula/milk, “flush” or add warm water into the
feeding syringe to continue to prevent clogging.
Figure 5. (Mount Nittany Health, n.d.).
8.
When feeding and flushing is finished, clamp the
extension tubing. Disconnect and wash the feeding
syringe and syringe used for water/flushing. Allow
them to air dry.
References
Mount Nittany Health. (n.d.). [Image of flush after feeding]. Retrieved March 2, 2024,
from https://mountnittany.org/wellness-article/gastrostomy-or-
gastrojejunum-tube-flushing-the-tube
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. (2023). [Image of pouring formula/milk into
feeding syringe]. Retrieved March 2, 2024, from https://www.mskcc.org/
cancer-care/patient-education/tube-feeding-using-bolus-method
Saint Luke’s Health System. (n.d.). [Image of attaching feeding syringe to extension
tubing]. Retrieved March 2, 2024, from https://www.saintlukeskc.org/health-
library/gastrostomy-feeding-tube-care-flushing
Saint Luke’s Health System. (n.d.). {Image of formula/milk flowing into g-tube].
Retrieved March 2, 2024, from https://www.saintlukeskc.org/health-library/
your-childs-gastrostomy-or-gastro-jejunum-tube-syringe-feeding
UC Davis Health. (n.d.). [Image of flushing using a syringe with plunger]. Retrieved
March 2, 2024, from https://health.ucdavis.edu/children/patient-education/
Introduction-to-Gastrostomy-Tube
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