Enteral feeding and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy

Many patients are unable to eat and others are malnourished. Such patients need nutritional support, and enteral feeding offers one way of providing such support. It may be needed for a short time during acute or critical illness or for prolonged periods in chronic illness. Short-term feeding is usually given through a nasogastric tube, while permanent feeding access is indicated for long-term feeding, most commonly through a gastrostomy. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is a minimally invasive technique for placing a feeding tube and causing minimal discomfort. This article reviews enteral feeding focusing on PEG and considers the after care and complications of this method of feeding.