The Hidden Burden of Community Enteral Feeding on the Emergency Department.

Background: Enteral feeding tubes are associated with their most serious complications in the days and weeks after insertion, but there are limited published data in the literature on late complications and the implications for the healthcare service.

Methods: This is a retrospective observational study of attendances to a UK hospital emergency department (ED), with enteral tube complications as the primary reason for attendance.

Results: Over 24 months, 139 attendances were recorded.