Tag Archives: gastrostomy tube

Fundamentals of Gastrostomy Tubes

Posted on by

I Novak, NK Velazco. Pediatrics in Review; 2024: 45: 175-187. Gastrostomy Tubes: Indications, Types, and Care

Thanks to Patrick Reeves for sharing this reference. While reading this article, I was reminded of Debbie Mason RN. She worked mainly for Colin Rudolph when I was a fellow at Cincinnati. She would teach the fellows the ‘ins and outs’ regarding gastrostomy tubes (GTs).

Some of the points from this article:

  • Background: In one large study, 25% of hospitalized pediatric patients in 63 U.S. hospitals required a temporary NG tube. GTs “preferred for longer-term access due to being less prone to accidental dislodgement, blockage, and interruption of feeds. They are also more durable, discrete, and avoid nasal trauma.” They are probably safer too for longer-term use. (An omission in the article: AMT bridles can help maintain NGs.)
  • Indications: Reviews the extensive list of reasons for GT placement, most related to inadequate nutritional intake (related to many chronic disease processes)
  • Contraindications are reviewed. “Absolute contraindications include active sepsis or peritonitis, massive ascites, uncorrectable coagulopathy, portal hypertension with significant varices, and history of total gastrectomy.” Transoral PEG tube is contraindicated, as well, if pharyngeal or esophageal obstruction, malrotation, or colonic interposition.
  • Preprocedural evaluation is described. Some have recommended UGI prior to placement in those with congenital anomalies. Others have stated that “even congenital anomalies should not mandate an upper GI series given how rare malrotation is in general.” Many children benefit from NG feeding trials prior to GT placement which can also improve nutritional status preoperatively.
  • The placement methods and types of GTs are reviewed. “As of now, there is no clearly identified optimal technique” (eg. laparoscopic GT vs PEG). The others note a meta-analysis of 22 studies (n >5000) found a higher rate of major complications with PEG placement. The authors recommend T-fasteners if GT balloon is used for initial placement.
  • Examples of bolster-type (non-balloon) GTs:
  • GT complications are discussed including infection, peritonitis, bleeding (rare to need a transfusion), injury to adjacent organs, pneumoperitoneum (usually benign and transient), hypergranulation, cellulitis (often treated with a first-generation cephalosporin or topical mupirocin), dislodgement, tube migration, and buried bumper syndrome. For early dislodgement (especially first 4-6 weeks after placement), blind reinsertion should be avoided.
  • GT care: The authors recommend starting feeds “not more than 3 to 6 hours” after placement to monitor for immediate postoperative complications, and cleaning site with warm water, saline or soap. Once the site has healed showering and bathing can resume; swimming can be permitted a few weeks after placement. Medications should be given via gastric port (if GJ) for better absorption of medications and lessen risk of tube clogging.
  • Troubleshooting: This is the most useful part of this article. Advice on peristomal leakage: “Placing larger tubes should be avoided because this will only enlarge the stoma tract…removal of the tube for a few hours can be considered because this permits the tract to start closing.” Leakage is often due to issues with balloon volume, poor fit, gastric pressure (eg dysmotility, gastroparesis) and poor wound healing. Clogging: “Carbonated beverages, juices, and meat tenderizer…studies have not shown these to be effective.” Lukewarm water, left to stand 20 minutes, is the first line agent for declogging. Other options include commercial enzymatic decloggers, and mechanical decloggers.
  • GT removal is discussed and I disagree with the authors that “persistent gastrocutaneous fistulas are rare after removal” (though the majority will close with conservative management). The authors do not recommend cutting GT bolsters due to risk of obstruction and note that endoscopic removal is often necessary.

My take: This article would be well-positioned as part of any GI fellows’ required curriculum and has a bunch of pointers for experienced clinicians as well. It could easily be used for material for ABP questions too. The article is much more detailed than the summary I have provided.

Also, another relevant resource (not discussed in article): Oley Foundation (oley.org). This foundation aims to help those living with home IV nutrition or tube feeding through advocacy, education, community and innovation.

Related blog posts:

Crepitus After G-tube Placement

Posted on by

Case: A 4 yo developed abdominal distention and crepitus after gastrostomy tube (GT) placement. An AXR (see below) showed subcutaneous emphysema (especially in left abdomen). There was no pneumoperitoneum or extravasation of contrast with fluoroscopy. Due to persistent distention, a CT scan was obtained three days after tube placement. The CT scan confirmed appropriate intragastric location of GT and nonspecific dilatation of bowel loops without pneumoperitoneum; the dilated bowel was attributed to an ileus and improved over the next few days. Thanks to colleague for sharing information.

My take: Isolated subcutaneous emphysema is rarely identified after GT placement and requires careful evaluation to assure appropriate insertion site (1,2).

  1. S Bernstein et al. AJR 2001;177:693–694 0361–803X/01/1773–693. Open Access: Subcutaneous Emphysema in a Pediatric Patient After Radiologic Placement of a Percutaneous Gastrostomy Tube
  2. MM Wojtowycz, JA Arata . AJR 1988; 151:311–312. Subcutaneous emphysema after percutaneous gastrostomy.

Trisomy 18 Trends over the Last 20 Years

Posted on by

TA Fick et al. J Pediatr 2021; 239: 206-211. Trisomy 18 Trends over the Last 20 Years

Methods: A retrospective analysis using the Kids’ Inpatient Database from 1997 to 2016 (10,151 admissions) was performed for trisomy 18.

Key Findings:

  • Gastrostomy tube placement increased 12-fold during the study period, tracheostomy increased 11-fold, and cardiac intervention increased 5-fold
  • The overall mortality rate (based on inpatient data) decreased in those with trisomy 18 from 32% in 1997 to 21% in 2016
  • Limitations: their data are limited to only hospitalized children and do not include all patients with trisomy 18 or capture population incidence

My take: This study documents a change in the approach to treating children with Trisomy 18. Compared to 20 years ago, these children are being offered more medical/surgical treatments rather than only palliative interventions.

Likelihood of Gastrostomy Tube in Infants with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

Posted on by

M Schwab et al. JPGN 2021: 73: 555-559. Factors and Growth Trends Associated With the Need for Gastrostomy Tube in Neonates With Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

My take: The need for a gastrostomy for nutritional support is associated with more severe CDH (~1/3rd of patients). Over a third of patients who received a GT, no longer needed a GT at a median of 26 months.

Related blog posts:

5 Signs Your Child Needs a Feeding Tube

Posted on by

The Nutrition4Kids website (developed by my partner Stan Cohen) has a lot of useful information for families. Here is a link to a recent addition: 5 Signs Your Child Needs a Feeding Tube

An excerpt:

Reasons for needing a feeding tube…

  • Medical necessity, where the child can’t meet their calorie needs due to a medical condition (like, say, a heart defect, neurologic and neuromuscular disorders, or a digestive disorder.)
  • Failure to thrive, often because of food aversions…
  • Trouble learning to suck, swallow, and breathe

Here are some of the most common signs your child may benefit from a feeding tube.

  • Sign #1: Your Physician Brings It Up 
  • Sign #2: You’ve Noticed Development Delays 
  • Sign #3: They’re Malnourished or Chronically Dehydrated
  • Sign #4: You’ve Tried Other Options Without Success
  • Sign #5: You’re Feeling Helpless as the Caregiver

If your child does end up needing enteral nutrition, understand that it doesn’t always mean it’s a forever situation.

Related blog posts:

Resource:

www.feedingtubeawareness.com  This site contains a terrific PDF download which explains enteral tubes in an easy to understand style along with good graphics. “What You Need to Know Now, A Parent’s Introduction to Tube Feeding is the guidebook that every parent wished they had when they were first introduced to feeding tubes.”

Briefly Noted: Parent Preference: MiniONE over MIC-KEY

Posted on by

In a prospective, randomized cross-over trial (RA Abdelhad et al. JPGN 2020; 70: 386-8) that compared two low profile gastrostomy buttons, caregiver preference favored AMT’s MiniONE over Avanos Medical’s MIC-KEY.  It is worth noting that the authors reported no conflict of interests.

Among 185 patients, 65 with MIC-KEY and 43 with MiniONE completed crossover study; GT buttons were placed laparoscopically.

  • In this group, 69% preferred MiniONE.
  • There were no differences in objective outcomes: adverse effects, emergency room/clinic visits, leavage, granulation tissue or dislodgements.
  • Caregiver preference was based on smaller size of external bolster and its ability to glow in the dark.

Some limitations of this study included a lack of long-term followup and an imbalance in the crossover groups completing the study.  Lack of blinding of the investigators and caregivers could have allowed bias to affect evaluations as well.

UNC Campus Pic (Chapel Hill)

 

Does Reflux Really Worsen After Gastrostomy Placement in Children?

Posted on by

A recent prospective longitudinal cohort study (J Franken et al. JPGN 2020; 70: e41-47) examined the development of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) in 50 children  who underwent gastrostomy tube (GT) placement between 2012-2014.

Key findings:

  • GER symptoms were present before and after GT placement: in 44% and 40% respectively.

Among the 25 who underwent pre- and post-operative impedance-pH analysis

  • there was not a significant change in acid exposure: 6.2% vs. 6.1%
  • there was not a significant change in reflux episodes
  • Prior to GT placement, 18 of 25 (72%) had pathologic reflux.  Afterwards, 18 of 25 (72%) had pathologic reflux –though this included 4 with new onset reflux and 4 with resolved reflux

My take: This study shows that reflux symptoms and documented reflux are commonplace in children undergoing GT placement.  Based on this limited sample size, it appears that GER does not appreciably change following GT placement.

Related blog posts:

Island Ford, Sandy Springs

Gastrostomy Tube Placement in Extremely Low Birthweight Infants

Posted on by

A recent analysis (MG Warren et al J Pediatr 2019; 214: 41-6) examined gastrostomy tube (GT) placement among 4569 extremely low birthweight (ELBW) infants (birth wt <1000 gm) who were enrolled in the National Instittue of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network (25 centers).

Key findings:

  • 333 (7.3%) underwent GT placement; 76% had GT placed postdischarge from NICU
  • Among patients with GT placement, 56% had weight <10th percentile, 61% had neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI), and 55% had chronic breathing problems
  • At last follow-up, 32% of infants who required GT placement were taking full oral feeds.
  • Rates of fundoplication varied widely between centers, ranging from 0% to 6.4% among the centers.

In the discussion, the authors note the well-recognized associations between feeding difficulties and language delays in ELBW infants.  In addition, “behavioral and emotional problems have …been described in children with feeding problems.”

The authors also state, without evidence, that the high rate of GT placement after discharge suggests that “a large proportion of ELBW infants were first discharged from the NICU orally feeding but could not maintain these skills.”  Alternative explanations include the following:

  • Many infants were sent home with NG (nasogastric) supplementation and after not making progress with oral feedings, elective GT placement was done when the infant was a more suitable candidate (eg. improved respiratory status, better nourished, etc.)
  • Problems with oral feeding became apparent after discharge including poor growth and aspiration.  In fact, the authors note that “orormotor dysfunction and avoidant feeding behaviors at 3 and 12 months corrected age” were nearly twice as likely in infants born <34 weeks
  • While this study did not fully capture data regarding home NG feedings, 14% of patients sent home with NG feedings eventually received a GT

My take: This study indicates that 7% of ELBW infants undergo GT placement and that about one-third out-grow the need for GT supplementation after ~2 years.

Related blog posts:

Mortality After Feeding Tube Placement in Children with Neurologic Impairment

Posted on by

A population-based study (KE Nelson et al. Pediatrics 2019; 143: e20182863) used an administrative data based from Ontario, Canada to examine the mortality rates among children with a diagnosis of neurologic impairment who underwent either gastrostomy placement or gastrojejunal placement between 1993-2015.

Key findings:

  • Two-year survival after feeding tube placement was 87.4% and 5-year survival was 75.8%
  • Unplanned hospital days, emergency room visits and outpatient visits were not significantly different after tube placement compared to pre-tube placement.

The authors interpret their findings as showing a high mortality which is likely due to medical fragility as there was “stability of health care use before and after the procedure.”

In the associated commentary (by KJ Lee and TE Corden, e20183623) the authors note the placement of a Gtube often took place after an increase in health care in the weeks prior.  They recommended engaging in shared-decision making regarding Gtube placement prior to crisis.

My take: There have been a number of studies, particularly in adults, that have shown that Gtubes may not prolong survival in many conditions.  However, they have been shown to improve nutritional status, simplify care, and improve quality of life.

Related blog posts:

Joshua Tree National Park

 

Gastrostomy Complications

Posted on by

A recent review (RJ Sealock, K Munot. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2018; 16: 1864-69) provides a quick review of some common and rare problems: infection, buried bumper, leakage, bleeding, colonic perforation, tube dislodgment, and nonhealing stoma.

It is a useful reference.  One item (Link to Figure 2) that was interesting was a technique for gastrostomy site closure.  The authors describe passing 2 sutures through a long needle into the stomach around the stoma and using an endoscope/endoscopic biopsy forceps to redirect the sutures back through a catheter to make a loop which can be tied externally.

Related blog posts:

Golden Gulch Trail, Death Valley