If you or someone you love needs a feeding tube, you know the emotional weight of that reality. We're developing a new approach — one that puts dignity first.
Enteral nutrition — feeding through a tube — is a medically necessary treatment for people who cannot eat enough by mouth. This includes patients recovering from head and neck cancer, those with neurological conditions affecting swallowing, and many others.
Over half a million Americans currently live with a feeding tube. For many, it's a life-sustaining treatment. But the experience of having one can profoundly affect quality of life, self-image, and social participation.
Current feeding tube options come with significant trade-offs. Nasogastric (NG) tubes are taped visibly to the face and nose. Gastrostomy (PEG) tubes require a surgical procedure to create an opening in the abdomen.
Research shows that the majority of patients who refuse feeding tubes cite social stigma and body image concerns — not medical fears. They're making a choice between their health and their dignity. That shouldn't be necessary.
Alsteni Medical is developing a new type of feeding tube that is invisible when not in use, fully removable by the patient, and requires no surgery to place.
The Alsteni System uses a small anchor hidden inside the mouth — similar to orthodontic hardware — to hold a thin, flexible feeding tube in place. When feeding is complete, the tube is removed entirely. Nothing is visible to anyone.
This means patients can receive the nutrition they need without the visible markers that make current options so difficult to accept. No tape on the face. No tube coming from the nose. No permanent hole in the abdomen.
We believe patients shouldn't have to choose between their health and their dignity. That belief drives everything we do.
The Alsteni System is currently in development and is not yet available for use. We are working through the FDA review process to bring this technology to patients.
Sign up to receive updates on our progress and be among the first to know when the Alsteni System becomes available.
A national nonprofit providing support, education, and community for people who depend on home nutrition support (tube feeding and IV nutrition).
Visit oley.org →Resources, community support, and awareness campaigns for tube-fed individuals and their families.
Learn more →The leading clinical nutrition organization providing evidence-based guidelines for nutrition support therapy.
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