Lisa M. Epp, RDN, LD, discusses the new enteral connectors

Lisa M. Epp, RDN, LD, Home Enteral Nutrition, Mayo Clinic: My name is Lisa Epp and I’m a dietitian at Mayo Clinic. I’m here today to talk to you a little bit about the new to tube feeding connectors that will be coming soon. There have been problems with tube feeding formula being connected to the wrong tube. This has prompted a change in feeding tube connectors. An international group has been created to develop a new design called ENfit®. This new design will improve patient safety by allowing only feeding tubes to be connected with tube feeding equipment such as bags and syringes. Mayo Clinic is committed to safety and is working toward making this transition an easy one for you. This is what your current feeding tube may look like. The feeding bags that you receive at home may have an end that looks like this which is allowing you to provide your tube feeding formula. In the next year, bags will change and will look something like this. This will make it impossible for you to feed into your current feeding tube, therefore a transition adaptor will be available so you can screw that on to the new feeding bag and insert it into your current feeding tube. Sometime in the next year that transition piece will be going away which will require you to have a new feeding tube placed to allow you to screw your feeding bag on to your feeding tube to get feedings. You may do your feedings with a syringe or administer water or medications with a syringe. That works well into your current feeding tube like this, however next year, you will be getting new syringes that also have that different end. You will need the transition adapter for your syringes as well. You will screw those on to the end of the syringe to put in your food, water or medication into the tube. Within the next year, again, that transition piece will be going away which would require a new feeding tube to give food, water or medication through your tube. For updates about this process, visit stayconnected.org and if you have any questions, ask your health care provider.