An Ezy innovative Aid for tube feeding

What is EzyAid?

EzyAid is simple and practical and alleviates the need for adhesive tape to hold a feeding tube in place.

The current method for fixing feeding tubes is labour intensive, wasteful, uncomfortable, stressful and leaves the patient with a rash on their face.

EzyAid is durable, efficient and is ezily applied, significant particularly in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs).

EzyAid can be used on anyone who requires tube feeding including:

  • Premature babies
  • Cleft palate patients
  • Cancer patients
  • Patients with cardiovascular disease
  • Patients with feeding issues associated with stroke, anorexia, dementia, diabetics, cystic fibrosis etc.

One Design

All-in-one-design.

No need for sports adhesives.

Time Saving

The feeding tube is easier and quicker to apply saving time for the patient, medical staff and parents.

Less Stress

Creates less stress for the patient, parents and health professional given the ease of application.

More Comfort

More comfortable due to the materials used and the design of the product which contours to the face.

The Issue

EzyAid was born out of frustration. Securing a feeding tube to a patient’s face can be extremely problematic, particularly in Neonatal Intensive Care Wards. Keeping feeding tubes in place on newborns is stressful not only for parents but for nurses who are required to perform the task several times a day.

Nurses, doctors, parents and carers are faced with limited options to immobilise the feeding tube. Adhesive surgical tape is most commonly used, which often causes serious skin irritations and is uncomfortable for the patient.

Traditional Dressings:
  • Are hard for parents or carers to apply
  • Are not waterproof
  • Can still be lifted from the face by the child, allowing the child to pull out the feeding tube
  • Can quickly become unhygienic and unsightly

A serious long-term consequence of these difficulties is oral aversion leading to extremely low food consumption and poor nutrition.

Outdated Method

Outdated Feeding Tube Method

EzyAid

EzyAid is:

  • All in one design
  • Waterproof
  • Ezier to use
  • More comfortable
  • More secure
  • Less stress for the patient, parents and health professionals
  • Aesthetically more pleasing
  • A preventative for oral aversion in children

Our Story

Meet Matty

Our son Matthew was born on 25th September 2012 with a very rare condition, Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS). Symptoms of PRS include a cleft palate and a recessed jaw and tongue, resulting in breathing and feeding difficulties. Matty was also diagnosed with Congenital Bilateral Talipes Equinovarus (clubfoot) and Adducted Thumbs (thumbs in fist).

We were not aware of any of these problems prior to his birth. When Matty was born he required resuscitating and within two hours we were advised of his multiple diagnoses. He spent the first seven weeks of his life in NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) at John Hunter Hospital Newcastle, NSW Australia.

He was fed orally and through a nasogastric tube from birth until 10 months old. He then had a gastrostomy tube inserted into his belly, which was removed prior to his 2nd birthday. Tube feeding was Matthew’s only option for nutrition due to the high risk of an acute aspiration event which could have progressed into pneumonitis and possibly respiratory failure.

Matty has also been diagnosed with a moderate intellectual disability, severe speech delays and has recently been put forward for a new research project by Hunter Genetics to see if his separate isolated conditions are linked to a particular syndrome.

EzyAid was invented when Matthew was tube fed. There was a need for an ezier solution that would be less stressful for all tube fed patients, their parents, carers and health professionals.

Today, Matthew is a happy five-year-old boy who has just started Kindergarten at a special needs primary school.

We are passionate about helping those requiring tube feeding and globally distributing our product.

Oral Aversion

Oral Aversion is reluctance, refusal, avoidance, or fear of eating, drinking, or accepting sensation in or around the mouth causing inadequate nutrition.

Matty became oral averse to feeding as a baby due to the stress and trauma of inserting his feeding tube and the constant need to either re-insert a new tube due to it being pulled, flicked out or to fix and change his tape on his face on average three times a week. He struggled with his weight being underweight for a very long time, it took a specialised feeding therapist to ween him off his tube.

We know from this experience that if a product like EzyAid had of been available to use for Matthew to secure his tube to his face for a longer period of time it would have drastically reduced his stress and oral aversion issues.

Our mission is to now help others who are tube fed especially babies to avoid oral aversion all together and be spared the traumatic experience of changing tape and tubes too often.