Blenderized diet and/or bolus delivery manual pump
Delivery pumps for providing a bolus or blenderized diet to enterally fed mammals are provided. A delivery pump according to the present disclosure is manually operated, and does not require mechanically powered operation. A delivery pump according to the present disclosure also has a size sufficient to contain an entire bolus or blenderized diet feeding, and is shaped to allow filling of the reservoir with a bolus or blenderized diet by a user. The present disclosure also includes a method of providing a bolus or blenderized diet to a mammal.
1. A blenderized diet and/or bolus delivery pump comprising:
a reservoir having a proximal end and a distal end, a tip located at the distal end, and a size sufficient to contain an amount of from about 100 milliliters to about 500 milliliters of a liquid or semi-solid composition, where the tip is configured to releasably attach the reservoir to an enteral feeding device;
a removable pump head assembly attached to the proximal end of the reservoir; and
a plunger disposed within the reservoir;
wherein manual operation of the removable pump head assembly is configured to produce compressed air in the reservoir;
wherein the plunger is configured to be pushed by the compressed air in a substantially linear direction toward the tip of the reservoir upon the manual operation of the removable pump head assembly.
2. The delivery pump of claim 1 , wherein the removable pump head assembly comprises a manual air pump.
3. The delivery pump of claim 1 , wherein the plunger contacts the liquid or semi-solid composition, and the compressed air is separated from the liquid or semi-solid composition by the plunger.
4. The delivery pump of claim 1 , wherein the removable pump head assembly comprises a manual pump bulb.
5. The delivery pump of claim 1 , wherein a diameter of the reservoir is from about 25 millimeters to about 75 millimeters.
6. The delivery pump of claim 5 , wherein the diameter of the reservoir is from about 35 millimeters to about 65 millimeters.
7. The delivery pump of claim 1 , wherein the reservoir has a size sufficient to contain an amount of the liquid or semi-solid composition of about 150 milliliters to about 450 milliliters.
8. The delivery pump of claim 1 , wherein the plunger comprises a hard plastic or a balloon.
9. A method of feeding a mammal utilizing an enteral feeding device comprising:
placing an amount of a liquid or a semi-solid composition into a blenderized diet and/or bolus delivery pump, the blenderized diet and/or bolus delivery pump comprising:
a reservoir having a proximal end and a distal end, a tip located at the distal end, and a size sufficient to contain an amount of from about 100 milliliters to about 500 milliliters of the liquid or semi-solid composition, where the tip is configured to releasably attach the reservoir to an enteral feeding device;
a removable pump head assembly attached to the proximal end of the reservoir; and
a plunger disposed within the reservoir; and
manually operating the removable pump head assembly to generate compressed air in the reservoir such that the plunger moves in a substantially linear direction toward the distal end of the reservoir.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the plunger pushes the liquid or semi-solid composition from the reservoir to the enteral feeding device when the plunger is contacted by the compressed air.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein an amount of from about 150 milliliters to about 450 milliliters of the liquid or semi-solid composition is placed into the reservoir.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein at least about 80% of the amount of the liquid or semi-solid composition is pushed from the reservoir to the enteral feeding device.
13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the removable pump head assembly only utilizes manual operation to move the plunger.
14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising separating the removable pump head assembly from the reservoir after the liquid or semi-solid composition has been pushed from the reservoir.
15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the removable pump head assembly is operated by squeezing a pump handle.