PERCUTANEOUS ENDOSCOPIC GASTROSTOMY

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is now the technique of choi ce for patients requiring long-term enteral feeding. It is a good meth od for feeding patients with neurological dysphagia and can safely be kept in situ for long periods. PEG feeding requires a multidisciplinar y approach, involving doctors, nurses pharmacists, speech therapists, dieticians and carers. The insertion of a PEG, which requires two oper ators and two endoscopy nurses, is described in full. Feeding can comm ence after a few hours. Various types of feed and feed-ing patterns ar e described and their relative merits discussed. Although psychologica l problems may occur following PEG insertion, the procedure is usually well accepted by patients.