Enteral tube feeding and pneumonia

To determine the effects of enteral tube feeding on the incidence of pneumonia, we performed a retrospective review of all clients at our institution who had gastrostomy or jejunostomy tubes placed over a 10-year period. Ninety-three subjects had a history of pneumonia before feeding tube insertion. Eighty had gastrostomy and 13, jejunostomy tubes. There was a 45% decrease in the incidence of pneumonia in the year following tube insertion compared to the prior year. This improvement was seen in gastrostomy and in jejunostomy tubes, but was only statistically significant in gastrostomy tubes. We conclude that although feeding tubes do not completely prevent pneumonia, there is an immediate decrease in the incidence of pneumonia following tube placement.