Blended diets and considerations for enteral feeding

Patients requiring enteral tube feeding have typically relied on commercially prepared liquid enteral formula, but an increasing number of patients are choosing to blend their own foods at home (blended diet) or use a commercial thick formula containing real-food ingredients, with a growing body of research supporting this choice. Volume tolerance can often be a challenge when transitioning over to a real-food blended diet, as traditionally a blended diet required syringe bolus administration, with companies stating that their automated feeding pumps could not be used with thicker consistencies. However, the launch of the new Kangaroo® OMNI™ Enteral Feeding Pump, designed to deliver thick formula and a home-blended diet, represents a promising advancement in patient care and choice.