Enteral nutrition generally refers to any method of feeding that uses the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to deliver part or all of a person’s caloric requirements. It can include a normal oral diet, the use of liquid supplements or delivery of part or all of the daily requirements by use of a tube (tube feeding).

The main types of enteral feeding tubes include: Nasogastric tube (NGT) starts in the nose and ends in the stomach. Orogastric tube (OGT) starts in the mouth and ends in the stomach. Nasoenteric tube starts in the nose and ends in the intestines (subtypes include nasojejunal and nasoduodenal tubes).