Understanding the use of blended diet with enteral feeding tubes. Dr Sarah Durnan
The practice of using blended diets with enteral feeding tubes is not hugely widespread, but it is gaining popularity. Dietetic organisations have generally advised against using blended diets around concerns with the possibility of blocked tubes, nutritional inadequacy and contamination. However, many UK dietitians are currently supporting families to use blended diets with very few incidences of harm being reported.
Sarah’s experience of assisting families using blended tube feeding originated from concerned parents whose children did not tolerate commercial feeds. For these families, using a blended diet has had physiological, social and emotional benefits.
Dietitians are the experts in enteral tube-feeding and should be leading the multi-professional discussions in relation to blended diet. We should be ensuring families receive the information they need to enable them to make an informed decision.
Sarah outlines how to create a plan with parents and carers including:
- The continuum of blended diet use from partial to full
- Achieving correct viscosity and texture
- Safe food preparation, handling and storage
- Nutritional adequacy
Dr Sarah Durnan is a Specialist Paediatric Dietitian. She is Clinical Lead for the Children’s Home Enteral Feeding service at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and a Post-Doctoral Fellow with the Children and Young Peoples Research Group at the University of Nottingham. Her Doctoral and Post-Doctoral research has focused on the use of blended diet in enteral feeding. Dr Durnan is a member of the BDA Paediatric and Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Groups. She is lead author of the British Dietetic Association (BDA) Policy Statement: The Use of Blended Diet with Enteral Feeding Tubes and the BDA Practice Toolkit which will be published later this year.
To help with our understanding and confidence of the growing trend in blended tube feeding we have a series of three presentations planned.
The background story to this series of presentations can be found here.
1. Understanding the use of blended diet with enteral feeding tubes. Presented by Dr Sarah Durnan, Specialist Paediatric Dietitian, UK
For further information and to register click here
2. Blended tube feeding Claire Kariya, RD (Canada) & Lina Breik, APD
For further information and to register click here
3. Blended tube feeding case studies Claire Kariya, RD (Canada) & Lina Breik, APD
For further information and to register click here