Maintaining the stability of furosemide tablets during enteral feeding tube delivery using PVC and non-PVC tubes, in accordance with hospital protocols.

Objectives: The administration of solid drugs via enteral feeding tubes is a common practice in hospitals. However, there is a paucity of literature about the stability of the drug and its interaction with medical devices. This study evaluated the sorption and content of furosemide tablets when administered through an enteral feeding tube, simulating a hospital clinical protocol.

Methods: In the laboratory, a high-performance liquid chromatography method for evaluating furosemide in tablets was validated with the simulation of the hospital protocol involving dispersing furosemide tablets in 10 mL of bottled water using syringes. The content was evaluated before and after passage through enteral feeding tubes made of three different materials (polyvinyl chloride-PVC, polyurethane and silicone). The sorption of furosemide in the tubes was evaluated by infrared spectrophotometry.

Results: The developed analytical method demonstrated selectivity, linearity within the 30-60 µg/mL range, as well as precision and accuracy. The stability of the furosemide in the syringes was also assessed, and no significant decay in content or formation of degradation products was observed during the 180 min exposure before passing through the enteral feeding tube. The simulation demonstrated that the furosemide content remained stable after passing through PVC (100.90%), polyurethane (98.58%) and silicone (99.56%) tubes. Furthermore, no sorption of furosemide was detected in any of the materials.

Conclusion: These results confirm the safety and stability of the hospital's protocol for administering furosemide via enteral feeding tube to the patient.