What is it about?
Gastrostomies are specialist abdominal feeding tubes inserted into patients who are unable to eat and drink themselves for a variety of medical conditions such as cancer, neurological conditions or digestive tract diseases.
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Why is it important?
There are often concerns about the safety of gastrostomy insertion and this often reflects the underlying fitness of the patient population. This study reveals that endoscopic gastrostomy tube insertion can be safe with a very low risk of serious complications. Further, when the traditional ‘PEG’ technique is not possible, often due to gullet or head and neck cancer, the ‘gastropexy’ technique can be used with no increased risk. This means that we can confidently use gastrostomy to help treat a greater number of patients, such as those with cancer, with no increased risks. We also report that routine blood tests cannot predict outcomes.
Perspectives
The true benefit of gastrostomy should be seen as the balance between the associated risks and benefits to individual the patient in terms of access for hydration, nutrition and administration of medication. The impact on quality of life is not well documented in this population but is clearly evident in clinical practice. Each referral should therefore be considered on an individual patient basis.
Emma Metcalfe
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Gastropexy can be as safe as conventional percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG), and biomarkers do not predict short-term or long-term outcomes: a 7-year follow-up audit, Frontline Gastroenterology, November 2019, BMJ,
DOI: 10.1136/flgastro-2019-101306.
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