Health Care Medical: Your Enteral Nutrition Supplier
Enteral nutrition (EN) provides critical macro and micronutrients to individuals who have trouble absorbing and maintaining adequate nutritional levels through food, water, and oral medications. Most often, EN becomes necessary for individuals who’ve experienced neurological conditions that hinder the ability to swallow, such as stroke, cancer, amytrophic lateral sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease. If an individual is on a ventilator or has impaired mental status, EN may also be required. Enteral nutrition is delivered through the stomach or beyond the pylorus, which means it delivers nutrients into the duodenum or jejunum (part of the small intestine). The site and timeline of enteral feeding determine the types of supplies needed. There are a variety of EN types many of which are disease specific. We work with each patient to tailor the supplies you will need to ensure you or your loved one’s EN is a success. Our careful and comprehensive assessment of the individual’s needs in accordance with his/her provider’s orders, ensures that nutritionally complete and clinically appropriate EN is delivered safely.
If you or a loved one requires enteral nutrition, be assured that it can be done in the comfort of your own home. Your provider or dietitian will share with us their specific direction on type, strength, how quickly to food, and delivery method, which can range from gravity controlled to pump assisted. Gravity controlled feeding is typically delivered through the stomach and uses manually controlled devices. Pump assisted uses an electric pump device for precise control over the rate of delivery in patients who are at a higher risk of inadvertently getting formula in their lungs, may be sensitive to volume, have delayed gastric emptying or are being fed into the small intestine.[1] We will teach you how to prepare, administer and monitor your or your loved one’s tube feeds and have nurses on call 24/7 through our pharmacy to troubleshoot any questions you may have in the process.
Once we receive your provider’s medical orders, we can setup automated shipping, so your supplies always arrive on time. Health Care Medical has relationships with a multitude of trusted vendors, so you can depend on never having a gap in care.
About Health Care Medical Infusion Specialties
We hope that this blog post has helped you understand the benefits of infusions at home. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about our IVIG services, please contact us today! Health Care Medical Infusion Specialties provides a full team of home infusion nurses with special infusion certifications to help you every step of the way with IVIG therapy.
[1] https://gi.org/topics/enteral-and-parenteral-nutrition/, Accessed 4.9.24