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Managing patients with a PEG

Mel Young EN

Olivia Bidner RN

Nicole McNabb BHSc (Nutr&Diet)

Anne Duggan BA(Hons) Bmed MPH FRACP PhD

Enteral feeding via a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) can improve a patient's gross nutritional deficiencies and maintain his or her quality of life. Here, these authors provide an outline of gastrostomy tube feeding.

Remember

  • Malnutrition contributes to higher mortality and risks of infection. Enteral feeding is a safe and effective way to obtain nutrition in a functioning gut when a patient cannot eat or drink sufficiently for survival.
  • Patients to be considered for enteral feeding via percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) include:
    • Those with swallowing difficulties due to progessive neurological disorders such as motor neurone disease.
    • Those who cannot safely swallow because of neurological injury such as cerebrovascular injury or trauma, or oesophageal obstruction due to inoperable malignancy
    • Those unable to maintain nutrition due to chronic illness such as cystic fibrosis.

 


Managing patients with a PEG

Medicine Today, September 2006, Volume 7, Number 9.



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