CHAPTER 14 | Manage Supplemental Nourishments & Foods According to the Written Diet Order
potential cause of the diarrhea and offer options for managing the complication.
Metabolic complications of tube feedings, such as electrolyte imbalance, frequently occur due to inadequate fluid intake, diarrhea, and/or vomiting (Ley et al., 2023). Tube feeding frequently serves as a client’s sole source of fluid, so careful attention must be paid to the amount of additional water given to a client throughout the day. Water in addition to the tube feeding product should be provided adequately to make up for normal fluid losses throughout the day. There is approximately 700 ml fluid lost daily from respiration, sweating, and water in stool (McNeil-Masuka & Boyer, 2020). Fluid intake should accommodate these additional losses that are difficult to measure and should be calculated by the RDN/NDTR to meet the client’s estimated fluid needs. The RDN’s nutrition prescription for the tube feeding should also include how much water should be given with the feedings and how that water should be delivered. This written direction can help avoid such electrolyte imbalances.
Mechanical complications of tube feedings include tube dislodgement, clogging of the tube, leakage around the placement site of the tube, skin breakdown at the site of the tube placement,
into Practice Refer to the Supplemental Materials for answer.
3. The CDM, CFPP notices while visiting a client who is on a tube feeding that they are laying flat in their bed and coughing. What should the CDM, CFPP do?
Nutrition Fundamentals and Medical Nutrition Therapy