gastrostomy tube
Meaning of gastrostomy tube: A feeding route running straight through the abdominal wall, used when swallowing will be unsafe for a long time.
Definition of gastrostomy tube
A gastrostomy tube is a soft tube placed through the wall of the abdomen directly into the stomach, giving a lasting route for feeding, fluids and medicines. It is used when swallowing is unsafe or cannot supply enough, as after a severe stroke or with progressive neurological illness. The opening it passes through is the gastrostomy itself.
How is one placed?
| Method | How it is done |
|---|---|
| Endoscopic | A camera lights the stomach from inside and guides the tube through a small skin puncture |
| Radiological | Positioned under x-ray guidance without a camera |
| Surgical | Placed during an operation when the other routes are unsuitable |
The endoscopic method is the most common, and the resulting device is widely called a PEG tube. Strictly, PEG names that method of placement rather than the tube, so a gastrostomy tube positioned under x-ray guidance does the same job without being a PEG.
How does it differ from a tube through the nose?
An NG tube passes through a nostril and down the gullet into the stomach. It is quick to place, needs no procedure, and suits days or a few weeks. It is also uncomfortable, visible on the face, easily pulled out and prone to shifting position. A gastrostomy tube requires a procedure and carries the risks that go with one, but it sits hidden under clothing, stays where it is put, and suits months or years. The choice between them turns mainly on how long the route is expected to be needed.
What is it used for?
Feeding through it is a form of enteral nutrition, meaning nutrition delivered into a working digestive tract rather than into a vein. Liquid feed is given by pump or by syringe, along with water and liquid medicines. The same tube can also work in the opposite direction, letting gas and stomach contents out when the bowel below is blocked. Having one does not rule out eating by mouth where that remains safe, and the two are often used side by side.
What problems occur?
Infection and irritation of the skin around the site are the most frequent. The tube can block, particularly with thick feed or poorly crushed tablets, and it can be pulled out, which matters most in the early weeks before the track between skin and stomach has matured. Leakage around the site and overgrowth of tissue at the edge are common. Feed can also travel back up and be inhaled, so posture during feeding influences that risk.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
Feeding was established through a gastrostomy tube after swallowing was assessed as unsafe.
Good to know
PEG names the endoscopic method of placing a gastrostomy tube rather than the tube itself, so a tube positioned under x-ray guidance is a gastrostomy tube but not a PEG.
Word origin
Where “gastrostomy tube” comes from
From the Greek gaster, meaning stomach, and stoma, meaning mouth or opening.