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Position statement offers practice guidance for feeding tube placement

Due to growing use of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tubes among children with feeding and nutrition difficulties, the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, or ESPGHAN, addressed placement techniques in a recent statement published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology.

The percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) technique involves use of an endoscope to guide tube placement in the stomach and create an opening in the abdominal wall. The PEG technique has become standard, according to a press release.

The statement discussed various techniques for PEG tube placement, including the novel “push” technique, which may be more advantageous than the previous “pull” technique, in addition to feeding considerations and supplies, care of the PEG tube after placement, and how to manage potential short and long-term complications.

The statement also included information about feeding consideration and supplies, care of the PEG tube after placement, and short- and long-term complications and their management, according to the press release.

Members of the ESPGHAN Gastroenterology Committee who drafted the statement said that the position statement was intended to serve as a useful and practical guide to PEG tube placement that will help optimize nutritional support for these children.

“The PEG tube now plays a key role in the management of children and young people with nutritional compromise, providing safe and effective access to the gastrointestinal tract. This document reviews all the current evidence on this important practice in children and presents it as a practical and accessible guide for all health care professionals involved in the care of these tubes,” study researcher Robert B. Heuschkel, PhD, of Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge, U.K., said in the release.