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. 2022 Apr;37(2):318-322.
doi: 10.1007/s00455-021-10280-w. Epub 2021 Mar 14.

A Safe Way to Administer Drugs Through a Nutrition Tube-The Simple Suspension Method

Kenjiro Kunieda  1   2 , Naomi Kurata  3 , Yuki Yoshimatsu  4   5 , Tomohisa Ohno  6 , Takashi Shigematsu  7 , Ichiro Fujishima  7
Affiliations

A Safe Way to Administer Drugs Through a Nutrition Tube-The Simple Suspension Method

Kenjiro Kunieda et al. Dysphagia. 2022 Apr.

Abstract

The simple suspension method (SSM), developed by Kurata in 1997, is a way to suspend tablets and capsules in warm water for decay and suspension prior to their administration. This method is safe and has various advantages such as the avoidance of tube clogging and the loss of the drug. This study aimed to investigate whether a higher percentage of commonly used drugs could pass through nutrition tubes effectively using SSM, relative to that using the conventional crushing method. A tablet or capsule was inserted into a 20 mL syringe with warm water (at 55 °C). After 10 min, it was shaken in the syringe. The suspension liquid was injected into tubes of the following sizes: 8 Fr, 10 Fr, 12 Fr, 14 Fr, 16 Fr, and 18 Fr. A total of 3686 tablets and 432 capsules that are frequently used in Japan were tested. Using SSM, 3377 (91.6%) tablets and 359 (83.1%) capsules disintegrated within 10 min and passed through the tube without clogging it in the tube passage test. With the conventional crushing method, 2117 tablets (57.4%) and 272 capsules (63.0%) could be crushed. SSM reduced the risk of tube clogging and drug loss with more drugs than that with the conventional crushing method. The number of drugs indicated for administration by SSM is greater than that indicated by the conventional crushing method. Further studies are needed to consider its utility compared to conventional methods for dysphagia patients in clinical settings.

Keywords: Clogging; Deglutition; Deglutition disorders; Tablets; Tube feeding; Warm water.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Tube passage test. Placing the tube in a bedridden patient with the distal two-thirds lying flat and the proximal side at a height of 30 cm
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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