Assessment of the microbiological safety of enteral feeds when used with a prolonged feeding time

The microbiological risks of using a ready-to-use 1-litre enteral feeding system (Nutrison Steriflo) in a centre for burn patients were assessed. Such a system will have a relatively long hanging time (> 8 h). This could possibly lead to increased microbiological risks, because if the feed has been contaminated during use, microbes have a longer time available to multiply to high numbers. Multiplication will be relatively rapid due to the temperature conditions in the ward. A study was therefore carried out in which the microbiological quality of enteral formulae remaining in the bottle and giving set at the end of feeding burn patients (n = 5) was determined. From the 80 samples harvested from bottles and giving sets, microbiological analyses at all sampling points were performed in 54. It was shown that the microbiological quality of formulae in bottle and giving set remained good (colony count < 1 per ml), apart from in three exceptional cases. Fifty-one samples remained sterile throughout the feeding period. The results clearly show that the well-developed design of the system, combined with adherence to hygienic procedures by the nursing staff, make it possible to feed burn patients in a microbiologically safe way, even when a relatively long hanging time is used.