Recomendações para o preparo e administração de medicamentos via cateter enteral: uma revisão

Abstract

Enteral nutrition is usually administered through enteral catheters, and these are also frequently used for drug administration. Despite being safer and involving lower costs then parenteral administration, enteral drug administration is associated with adverse events occurrence. Taking this into consideration, this work aimed to describe the recommendations for the preparation and administration of drugs via enteral catheters. A systematic search of articles in the Pubmed and Lilacs databases, using keywords and free terms referring to drugs ("drug" OR "pharmaceutical preparations"), and multiple terms referring to enteral nutrition and catheters. Of the total of 1,486 articles, those that approached the appropriate techniques for the preparation and administration of drugs through catheters were selected, and 32 articles were analyzed. From these, techniques of preparation of different pharmaceutical forms for administration via catheters have been identified; techniques for catheter management before, during and after drug administration; and techniques for administering drugs through enteral catheters to assist health professionals at the time of performing these procedures. Drug administration via enteral catheters is frequent and involves multiple steps and peculiarities. The literature diverges on the appropriate technical criteria for this practice, especially in relation to drug preparation, selection of the most indicated pharmaceutical forms, incompatibilities, and the type and volume of diluents. However, the preparation and administration of drugs through enteral catheters is of extreme relevance in the context of more complex patients and should be qualified where is performed.