Overview

Enteral nutrition, also known as tube feeding, is a way of delivering nutrition directly to your stomach or small intestine. Your doctor might recommend tube feeding if you can't eat enough to get the nutrients you need.

When tube feeding occurs outside the hospital, doctors refer to it as home enteral nutrition (HEN). A HEN care team can teach you how to feed yourself through a tube and provide support when you encounter problems.

HEN might be recommended if you have difficulty eating, but your digestive system works normally. Examples include:

• Cancer, such as head and neck cancers, or cancer treatment that makes it difficult or painful to swallow
• Neurological problems, such as stroke and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Gastrointestinal problems, such as delayed gastric emptying (gastroparesis) and bowel obstruction
• Trauma, such as an injury to your digestive tract