WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: What do I need to know about percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy insertion? Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) insertion is a procedure to place a soft, plastic feeding tube into your stomach. You may need a PEG tube if you cannot get enough nutrition by eating your food. Liquid food can be given through the tube to give your body the nutrition it needs. The tube may also be used to remove air and fluid from your stomach. How do I prepare for the procedure? Your healthcare provider will talk to you about how to prepare for your procedure. He may tell you not to eat or drink anything after midnight on the day of your procedure. He will tell you what medicines to take or not take on the day of your procedure. What will happen during the procedure? - You will be given medicine to help you relax and make you drowsy. Your healthcare provider will insert an endoscope through your mouth, down your esophagus, and into your stomach. The light on the end of the endoscope may be seen through your abdomen. The light will help your healthcare provider find the best place to insert the PEG tube. He may inject air into your stomach so he can see clearly.
- Local anesthesia may be given as a shot to numb an area on your stomach. Your healthcare provider will make a small incision in your abdomen and insert a catheter with a wire through the opening and into your stomach. He will guide the wire up through the endoscope and into your mouth. The PEG tube will be attached to the wire and pulled down into your stomach. Your healthcare provider will bring one end of the PEG tube out through the opening in your abdomen. The other end of the PEG will stay in your stomach and will be held in place with a piece of plastic or small inflated balloon. This will prevent it from coming out through the opening in your abdomen (stoma).
- Once the PEG tube is in the right place, the endoscope and wire will be removed. If your healthcare provider cannot use an endoscope, he will place the PEG tube directly into your stomach through the incision on your abdomen. He will use an ultrasound to find the right place to put the PEG tube in your stomach.
What are the risks of the procedure? - The endoscope may cause damage or bleeding in your esophagus, stomach, or abdomen. During or after the procedure, liquid from your stomach may get into your lungs and cause an infection. Your stoma and skin around it may be bruised and painful. Sores may form in the skin around your stoma, and tissue may grow over the PEG tube.
- The end of the PEG tube in your stomach may move out of place. Your PEG tube may become blocked and it may crack, break, or leak. Your stomach may not empty into your intestines correctly. A fistula (abnormal tissue opening) may form between your skin and stomach or intestines. Your stoma may become infected. The infection may spread to other areas of your body and become life-threatening.
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