CONTINUING CARE

Continuing Care

Continuing Care

Introduction

The study is related to the patient who has a long term Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy. Therefore, the patient faces difficulty in feeding as he cannot feed directly from the mouth. The patient cannot communicate with others as his tongue has been removed and is fed all nutrition and medications as he has a total Glossectomy as he had cancer in the tongue. Due to this reason, the patient needs continuing care. The patient lives with his wife and she cares the patient.

Discussion

A Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy feeding tube is inserted directly through the skin (percutaneous) into the stomach (gastrostomy) using endoscopic guidance (endoscopic). This tube is generally selected for use in patients who need long-term gastric feeding because the tube is large-bore and quite stable. It is secured with internal and external “bumpers.” Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy tubes are available in both a standard configuration that is tube extends several inches from the insertion site and a low-profile configuration which is also called a button. The tubes are made of silicone, latex, or urethane (Khalid, Doshi & DiGiovine, 2010, 261-268). The construction of a PEG tube is a common method to feed the sick to the medium and long term. There are patients who due to various diseases can no longer absorb enough food. Through the PEG tube feeding one directly above the gastro-intestinal tract is possible (enteral). This allows footed dunnbreiige food or liquid, or may be administered. For the patient whose tongue has been removed due to the Glossectomy and he is unable to vocalize and communicate, PEG tube may be useful (Lavoie, 2009, 448-454).

In the view of the doctors, for the patient, standard nasogastric feeding tubes are not suitable for long-term feeding as the Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy tubes provide gastric access to the patient that is secure and comfortable for the patient who requires enteral feedings for long term. As the patient require, long term Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy, common conditions and diagnoses include neurological diseases that affect swallowing, for instance, stroke, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lopez, Amella, Strumpf, Teno & Mitchell, 2010, 83-88). For the patient with Glossectomy, PEG placement does not require general anaesthesia, so patient for whom anaesthesia is contraindicated may also receive Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy tubes.

Why Proper Care of PEG Feeding Tubes is important

Care of patient with a feeding tube focuses on keeping the tube in working order to ensure delivery of nutritional substrates and hydration and to minimize the risk of complications. In the given case, for the patient who requires long term feeding; the Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy tube is often the only means by which nutrients and fluids and medications can be delivered (Riskin, Hochwald, Bader, Srugo, Naftali, Kugelman and Shaoul, 2010, 209-214). Enteral feeding tubes such as Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy tubes (PEGs) and open gastrostomy tubes (OGTs) can provide a means of delivering nutrition and medication directly to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract for patients whose oral intake is inadequate or who require that the mouth, oropharynx, and/or esophagus be bypassed ...