Feeding tube replacement: not always that simple!

Area of Science:

• Medicine
• Surgery
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Surgical gastrostomy is a common procedure for nutritional support in patients with swallowing disorders.
• Early post-operative complications include tube dislodgement, stomal infections, peritonitis, and pneumonia.

Observation:

• An 83-year-old man with a swallowing disorder post-ischemic stroke underwent surgical gastrostomy.
• Nine months later, the feeding tube dislodged, and reinsertion created a false path, leading to an intra-abdominal abscess after diet infusion.

Findings:

• Delayed and difficult reinsertion of a dislodged gastrostomy tube can result in severe complications.
• The patient's intra-abdominal abscess, secondary to a false path, proved fatal.

Implications:

• This case highlights the critical need for careful technique during gastrostomy tube reinsertion.
• Routine imaging to confirm accurate tube placement is strongly advised to prevent life-threatening complications.