Transitioning to oral feeding: A retrospective cohort study of a family-centered, hunger-based tube weaning program.

Background: We investigated the effectiveness of a novel, hunger-based outpatient tube weaning program for children with feeding-tube dependency.

Methods: This interdisciplinary program induced hunger via rapid reduction in tube-fed calories, followed by 2 weeks of daily outpatient mealtime support and regular follow-up. Forty-one children (6.