When is enteral feeding considered for dysphagia?

• A. Only after failure of all conservative measures.
• B. When oral intake is unsafe or insufficient due to aspiration risk or severe dysphagia, and prognosis supports alternative feeding route (nasogastric or PEG tube).
• C. Enteral feeding is never used in adults.
• D. Enteral feeding should be chosen even if oral intake is safe.

Answer: (B)

When swallowing is impaired to the point that oral intake either cannot meet nutritional needs or carries a high risk of choking and misdirection of food into the airway, tube feeding becomes a practical option. This approach delivers nutrients directly to the stomach or small intestine, bypassing the mouth and throat. The best answer frames this decision around two key ideas: unsafe or insufficient oral intake due to aspiration risk or severe dysphagia, and a prognosis that supports using a feeding route such as a nasogastric tube for short-term needs or a PEG tube for longer-term support. If swallowing can safely meet the patient’s nutrition by mouth, a feeding tube isn’t needed. It’s not about waiting for every conservative measure to fail, and it isn’t true that enteral feeding is never used in adults, or that it should be chosen when oral intake is safe.