It seems humane and logical to provide tube feeding to patients who are terminally ill or who suffer from progressive neurological disorders. But a study of 150 elderly patients at the Indiana University Center for Aging Research suggests that tube feeding may not always be a good thing.
Tube feeding involves providing nutrients directly into a patient's stomach through a tube.
The majority of patients did not show any improvement in recovery rates, comfort or physical condition, Dr. Christopher M. Callahan reported in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Twenty-five percent of the patients died within a month of the procedure. Tube feeding was originally intended for patients who temporarily could not eat for themselves, but it has been expanded on humane grounds to patients who will never again be able to eat on their own. Critics say that the procedure may actually be inhumane. Inc. All rights reserved.