If a drug is administered by enteral feeding tube, then the location of the tube's tip may effect the action of the drug.
Situations where the action of the drug is affected by the placement of the tube's tip:
(1) For a drug that is used to neutralize or buffer stomach acid by direct effect, then placement of the tube beyond the stomach will reduce the intended effect.
(2) If a drug has significant first-pass metabolism in the liver, then placement of the tube in the midjejunum can result in increased effect due to decreased first-pass metabolism.
(3) Placement of the enteral tube tip beyond the site of primary absorption can reduce or slow drug absorption.
For most drugs absorbed by the small bowel the location of the enteral tube tip has little effect on total drug absorption. However, if the patient has short bowel syndrome or significant diarrhea then the location of the enteral tube tip can be important.
Problems as a consequence to this situations can often be corrected by adjusting the tip location.
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