Installation of a Feeding Tube for a Patient at Home in Saint Petersburg
If you have a relative who, for any reason, cannot eat or drink on their own, we are ready to help. Installation of a nasogastric feeding tube at home is a safe, painless procedure that allows you to organise full nutrition and care for a bedridden patient without hospitalisation.
The tube is a thin flexible tube inserted through the nose into the stomach. The procedure is uncomfortable but completely painless and takes little time. After installation, the patient can receive fluids and food on the same day.
How to call a doctor for home tube placement?
📞 Phone: +7(812) 933-89-56
🕒 Calls are accepted daily from 8:00 to 22:00
📅 Doctor visits – 7 days a week
💰 Price – from 9000 rubles (includes everything: visit, assessment, the tube itself, nutrition plan, and unlimited phone support). You do not need to buy anything separately.
The duty doctor will ask about the patient’s condition, assess the situation and suggest the best solution. After placement, the doctor gives a full consultation for relatives – how to feed, what to feed, and how to care for the tube. You may record the instructions. It is desirable that not only the caregiver but also family members attend.
In the first days, an individual nutrition program is developed, depending on the patient’s condition, dehydration level, and other factors.
Who needs a nasogastric tube?
-
Swallowing problems after stroke (ischaemic or haemorrhagic) – when the brain centres responsible for swallowing are affected. Sometimes swallowing recovers as the brain heals.
-
Progressive brain tumours – when tumour growth impairs brain function and swallowing becomes impossible.
-
Cancer intoxication – in late stages, the patient loses consciousness or cannot swallow; the tube is a humanitarian measure to prevent death from starvation and dehydration.
-
Muscle‑degenerative diseases (e.g., multiple sclerosis) – when muscles stop working.
-
Severe dementia of any origin (age‑related, vascular, etc.) – when the patient cannot take food.
When tube placement at home is contraindicated:
-
If the patient refuses food for psychiatric reasons (swallowing is preserved) – e.g., delusions of poisoning, severe anorexia nervosa. In such cases, hospitalisation in a psychiatric ward is required.
-
In an agonising state – when blood pressure is below 70 mmHg.
What to feed through the tube?
We recommend several options – from expensive ready‑made formulas to budget and simple solutions:
-
Special enteral formulas – ready‑made liquids or powders (e.g., Nutridrink, Nutrizond). They are very expensive, and daily volume is about 1.5 litres.
-
Baby formula (powdered, milk‑based) – any brand, any age. Cheaper and no worse. Sold in regular supermarkets. One tin lasts 2–3 days.
-
Meat or fish broth (low‑fat) – any meat or fish, just not fatty. Ideal: cook a regular soup for the family; give the broth to the patient, eat the solids yourselves.
-
Blended food – blend the solids from the soup into a paste, mix with broth to a consistency «slightly thicker than milk». This is ideal balanced nutrition.
How much and how often to feed? – This is determined individually based on blood pressure, dehydration, temperature, respiratory rate. A daily feeding plan is written for the first 3–5 days.
How often should the tube be replaced? – Every 25 days; after that, the tube hardens and may cause pressure sores.
How long can a patient stay on tube feeding? – In our practice, one elderly woman lived on tube feeding for about 3 years.
Advantages of home tube placement in our centre:
-
Painless and safe
-
Fast – doctor arrives on the day or next day
-
Full consultation and recording allowed
-
Individual meal plan
-
Post‑placement phone support
