Definition: Gavage feeding is a means of providing food via a catheter passed through the nares or mouth, past the pharynx, down the esophagus, and into the stomach, slightly beyond the cardiac sphincter.
Objectives:
a.To provide a method of feeding or administering medication that requires minimal patient’s effort, when the infant is unable to suck or swallow.
b.To provide a route that allows adequate calories or fluid intake.
c.To prvent fatigue or cyanosis that is apt to occur from nipple feeding.
d.To provide a safe method of feeding a limp and listless patient.
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