Potential AHN Burdens
- Nausea, regurgitation, vomiting
- Respiratory congestion
- Diarrhea
- Esophageal perforation
- Infection
- Aspiration of tube feeding
- Local wound infections and painful insertion sites
- Agitated behavior in individuals with cognitive impairments
AHN May Benefit Patients
- In recovering from an acute event, such as a stroke
- With some types of gastrointestinal cancers
- During chemotherapy or radiation therapy when requiring supplemental nutrition
- With esophageal obstructions
- With neurologic dysphagia without obstruction
- Who refuse to swallow without evidence of terminal illness
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