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The bFed® System as a Closed System - Keeping Clean During Prep
Why A Closed System?
In hospitals tube feeding is all about the "Closed System". The products used - pumps, sets and containers - are designed primarily to create a Closed System which reduces the risk of formula contamination, extends hang time and makes tube feeding easier for stressed out nursing staffs. Considering this list of advantages, caregivers and patients at home could similarly benefit from a closed system, especially if it made tube feeding easier and "cleaner" to use. Since most home tube feeding is an intermittent bolus feed without a pump, hang time is not a critical need.
What would a home tube feeding closed system look like? At U Deliver Medical we believe that the bFed System is that closed system. The benefits for the home user are protecting the nutrition from contamination, having delivery clean and not messy while keeping the whole process simple and easy. In other words following the U Deliver mantra - "Tube Feeding Made Easy".
Cleaning the Bolee Bag
The most important parts about keeping your nutrition free from contamination are starting out with a clean container and reducing the risk of introducing it while delivering the nutrition. The Bolee Bag is made from food grade plastic and produced in a controlled manufacturing environment so it starts clean. Once you start clean it is important to stay clean. By following the washing and drying directions on the back of the Bolee Bag it is easy to keep clean. You may notice that the Bolee Bag may discolor over time. This doesn't mean that Bolee Bag isn't clean, it is just a result of the nutrition you're using. Tomato sauce, for example, may give the plastic a red tint.
Filling the Bolee Bag
Filling the Bolee Bag with either commercially produced sterile formula or following safe food preparation in making a home blend is the next step. With "clean" nutrition it is important to be careful when filling the Bolee Bag to avoid what's called touch contamination. Pour directly into the Bolee Bag's large top port being careful not to touch the inside of the bag with your fingers while filling the Bolee Bag. Cutting the corner on nutrition in pouches makes pouring easier. Tetra containers with caps are designed for easy pouring so just remove the cap and pour. If you're using your own blend, using a container with a tip or a funnel to transfer the blend to the Bolee Bag much easier.
Pouring into a Bolee Bag from a Pouch
Pouring Home Blend from its Container
Storing Nutrition in the Bolee Bag
If you want to store your nutrition, you can do that in the Bolee Bag by refrigerating it or freezing it. In a recent research study, a team at Troy University has demonstrated that it safe to store nutrition in the Bolee Bag in a refrigerator for up to 48 hours ("Accepted Safe Food-Handling Procedures Minimizes Microbial Contamination of Home-Prepared Blenderized Tube-Feeding"; Milton, Johnson, et al; NCP; January 2020). Or just place it in the freezer. When you are ready to use it, just remove it from the refrigerator and attach the Bolink Large Cap. If it is frozen simply defrost in the refrigerator over night or place in warm water and attach the Bolink Large Cap.
Clean Tube Feeding
Delivering the nutrition is next part of a closed system. I'll address that in next part of this blog - Clean Tube Feeding.
