Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
What to do if the feeding tube falls out | CION Cancer Clinics
If the feeding tube falls out, stop the feed, cover the opening with a clean dressing, keep the tube and get to hospital the same day. The opening begins to narrow within hours, so a quick replacement is usually simpler than a late one. Do not push the old tube back in unless your team has trained you. If the tube was placed only weeks ago, treat it as an emergency. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Muralidhar MuddusettyConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery, AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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The short answer
What should you do first if the tube comes out?
Stop the feed, cover the opening with a clean dressing, keep the tube, and get to hospital the same day. The opening starts to narrow within hours, so the sooner a new tube goes in, the simpler it usually is.
Why speed matters
The opening in the skin is the end of a short channel that runs into the stomach. Doctors call it the stoma or the tract. Without a tube holding it open, that channel begins to shrink. Reach hospital quickly and a new tube can often slide through the same opening. Wait until the next day and it may have closed, which means a fresh procedure instead of a quick swap.
Why the age of the tube matters
For the first few weeks after placement, the stomach and the belly wall have not yet healed firmly together. If the tube comes out in that time, stomach contents can leak inside the belly, and that can cause a serious infection. So a new tube falling out is an emergency. An older, settled tube coming out is urgent, but the fix is usually quick.
If your team gave you written instructions for your own tube, follow those over anything on this page.
!
When to go to emergency straight away
Go now, not in the morning, if the tube was placed only in the last few weeks, or if the person has belly pain, a hard or swollen stomach, fever, vomiting, or pain that started while feed was running. Tell the emergency doctor they have a feeding tube that has come out. Do not put feed, water or medicine into the opening, and do not wait at home to see whether it settles.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistStep by step
What should you do in the first hour?
Stop and cover
Switch off the pump or close the clamp. Place clean gauze or a folded, freshly washed cloth over the opening and tape it down. A little stomach fluid may leak, so keep the skin around it dry.
Keep the tube
Put the tube in a clean plastic bag and take it with you. It shows the team the type and size, and whether a balloon burst or the tube itself broke.
Find the papers
Look for the discharge summary or tube card. It names the tube type, its size, the date it was placed and where. If you cannot carry the papers, photograph them on your phone.
Call, then travel
Call your team or the helpline and say the tube is out, when it came out and when it was placed. If the hospital that placed it is far away, go to the nearest emergency department instead of travelling for hours.
At the hospital
What will the hospital do?
It depends on the kind of tube and how long it had been in place. These are the usual situations.
A settled balloon tube
Many can be replaced at the bedside through the same opening, often without sedation. A small balloon filled with water holds the new tube inside the stomach.
Before feeds restart
- The position is checked
- You are shown how the new tube works
A settled PEG with an inner disc
The old tube cannot go back in. The team often places a balloon tube through the existing opening instead. If the opening has narrowed, they may gently widen it first.
A tube placed only weeks ago
The team usually does not simply push a new tube in. They may check with a scan, pause all feeding, give fluids through a drip and sometimes antibiotics, then plan a fresh placement once it is safe.
An opening that has closed
If many hours have passed, a new tube may need an endoscopy, a camera passed down the throat, or a procedure guided by X-ray. It takes longer, but it is a common and planned route.
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Words you may hear
What do the words on the papers mean?
- Stoma or tract
- The opening in the skin and the short channel behind it that leads into the stomach.
- Dislodged
- The medical way of saying the tube has come out or moved out of its proper place.
- Balloon
- A small water-filled cuff inside the stomach that holds some tubes in place. Balloons wear out with time.
- Internal bumper or disc
- A soft or firm disc on the inner end of a PEG tube that stops it sliding out.
- Button or low-profile tube
- A short tube that sits flat against the skin. A separate extension set clicks on for feeds.
- Mature tract
- An opening that has healed into a firm channel. This takes weeks, and your team will tell you when yours has reached that point.
Commonly believed
What do families often get wrong when a tube comes out?
"Push it back in quickly, before the hole closes."
A tube pushed back in without a check can end up in the belly wall instead of the stomach. Feed given through it then goes somewhere it should not. Only replace a tube yourself if you have been trained, have the right replacement, and your team has said you may.
"It can wait until the clinic visit next week."
The opening narrows within hours. A quick replacement today can become a procedure next week. In the meantime the person gets no water, feed or medicines through the tube.
"Fluid leaking from the hole means infection."
Some stomach fluid often leaks once the tube is out. Cover it and protect the skin. Fever, growing pain or spreading redness are different, and need a doctor that day.
"It came out, so we must have done something wrong."
Balloons wear out, tubes catch on clothing, and a confused or sleepy person may pull at one. It happens in careful homes. Tell the team so they can plan to lower the chance next time.
Planning ahead
How can you lower the chance of it happening again?
Most tubes come out because they are pulled, snagged, or held by a balloon that has gone soft. A few habits cut down all three.
Keep the tube out of harm's way
Tape a small loop of the tube to the skin so a tug pulls on the tape first. A vest or loose cotton top over the tube helps. Take extra care when changing clothes or bedsheets. If the person is confused, ask the team about a soft abdominal binder.
Ask about the balloon
If it is a balloon tube, your team may teach you to check the water in the balloon from time to time. If nobody has shown you, ask. Also ask when the tube is due to be changed, because balloon tubes do not last forever.
Have a small plan ready
Keep the tube card, a clean dressing and tape in one bag. Know which hospital near you can replace a tube. Ask whether you should keep a spare at home.
This page cannot tell you whether your tube can be replaced at the bedside. Only a team that knows your tube can.Questions we are asked
Common questions when a feeding tube falls out
How long do we have before the hole closes?
There is no exact clock. The opening starts to narrow within hours. Do not plan on waiting overnight. Cover it, keep the tube, and aim to reach a hospital the same day, as soon as you practically can.
Can I put the old tube back in myself?
Not unless your team has trained you, given you a proper replacement, and said you may. An old PEG with an inner disc cannot go back in at all. Even a trained family member should not restart feeds until the team has confirmed the new tube sits in the stomach.
The tube has come out only partly. What now?
Do not push it back in and do not pull it the rest of the way out. Stop the feed, tape the tube where it is so it cannot move further, and call your team or the helpline. A tube that has shifted may no longer be in the stomach, so nothing should go through it until it is checked.
Must we go back to the hospital that placed it?
No. If it is far, go to the nearest emergency department. Take the old tube and the discharge papers. Many hospitals can place a replacement. If one cannot, the doctors there can arrange for you to be seen where it can be done.
What about medicines while the tube is out?
Never put anything into the opening itself. If the person takes medicines for fits, diabetes or the heart, tell the emergency doctor at once, because missing them can matter. Ask the team whether any can be taken by mouth for now. Do not stop or change a medicine on your own.
Does putting a new tube in hurt?
Replacing a tube through a settled opening usually causes pressure and brief discomfort rather than lasting pain, and it is over quickly. If the opening has narrowed, the team may use numbing gel or sedation. Say beforehand if the person is anxious.
The balloon burst. Was the tube faulty?
Usually not. Balloons slowly lose water and wear out with ordinary use, and this is one of the most common reasons a tube falls out. Ask how often the new tube should be changed and whether you should check the balloon water at home.
Is a replacement covered by Aarogyasri or insurance?
Often, when the tube is part of cancer treatment. Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS and EHS are accepted, and most cashless insurers are empanelled. What is covered for an emergency replacement varies by scheme and policy, so call the helpline with the card details and we will check your cover.
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MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
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Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
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Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
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Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
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MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
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Sources
- NICE — Nutrition support for adults (CG32)
- National Cancer Institute — Nutrition in Cancer Care (PDQ) - Patient Version
- Cancer Research UK — Diet problems with cancer
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Impacts of cancer: eating and drinking
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Gastrostomy: what a feeding tube into the stomach isThe different tube types, and why yours mattersTube blockage: preventing and clearing itThe other common tube problem at homeInfection and leakage at the tube siteWhen fluid around the tube needs a doctorCaring for someone with a feeding tubeThe daily routine that prevents most problemsComplications and red flagsSigns after surgery that need same-day care
Talk to us
Has the tube just come out?
Call the helpline. We will help you work out where to go now and what to take with you. One helpline serves every CION centre.