What conditions must exist to initiate nasogastric (NG) feeding in the eating disorder patient?
Woods: My tube-feeding criteria is any 1 of the following: • The patient is less than or equal to 85% ideal body weight (IBW). • The patient has experienced greater than 1 month severe restriction (less than 500 calories per day) prior to admission. • A 3-day calorie count reveals intake below maintenance/gain calories. • The patient is severely restricting fluid intake and needs the NG tube to maintain hydration status. I explain to the patient that the tube is not because she can’t or won’t eat. The tube is a tool to help with weight restoration so she can learn to eat normally. Many patients will say that their biggest fear is that if they started eating, they would never know when to stop. Using the tube, I can reassure the patient that she can learn to eat normally and the tube will take care of the additional energy needed to get her to her healthy weight. Most patients are quite relieved to learn they do not need to eat the large volume of food required to restore weight but can
