It’s Time for G-Tube Innovation

The data on the health benefits of real food over labcreated formula is overwhelmingly revealing on how much healthier real food is, with less digestive issues, less problems with constipation, diarrhea, gagging, reflux and overall intolerance. I have zero issues with tolerance on a blended real food diet. Yet we cannot get a low-profile button with an internal bore larger than 3.0mm (despite the French size), which severely restricts the ability for people to feed on home-blended foods. ENFit bores are even smaller, at 2.9mm.

Thankfully legacy “dangler” tubes are still available. I believe there are tens of thousands of Tubies who would switch to a low-profile button if the internal bores were proportionally larger as the French sizes increase. A 24 Fr legacy tube with a 4.6mm internal bore makes blended food feeding very manageable.

Manufacturers need to catch up to the reality that blended food tube feeding is the healthier route and start producing and selling low-profile buttons with larger internal bores. And if ENFit wants to own this market, they need to re-engineer their internal bore sizes and connectors to accommodate thicker viscosity food blends.

The first company that offers a button with a larger internal bore for blended foods will realize enormous sales as legacy Tubies convert to buttons. More importantly, this is an issue about the overall health of tube-fed people. With nearly 60 percent of Tubies feeding on blended foods, and more converting every year, the data is overwhelming that real food is superior to formula in securing the health of tube-fed people.

I encourage all who read this plea to contact the major manufacturers of enteral devices and request low-profile buttons, tubing, and connectors with proportionally larger internal bores as the French size increases to accommodate thicker real food blends. Our bodies were not designed to thrive on lab-created formula. It’s about everyone’s health and quality of life, so get active, write, call, make some noise, and demand the equipment we need for a better quality of life. It’s hard enough having to feed through a G-tube without the complications that arise from intolerance to canned formula.

—Mike C. Rolesville, NC

Note: The opinions expressed above are those of the author and do not reflect the views of The Oley Foundation. While we value diverse perspectives, submissions are shared without commentary. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your care plan.