ABSTRACT ^ ^
Stroke is a common cause of swallowing difficulty. Problems such as
dysphagia may affect a patient's nutrition and hydration status and
increase the chance of aspiration pneumonia. In certain situations,
therefore, when dysphagia is prolonged, it is necessary to place a
percutaneous endoscopie gastrostomy (PEG) tube to facilitate the nutrition
and hydration support of patients for whom either oral intake is insufficient
to meet their needs or anatomical or neurological abnormalities preclude
safe swallowing. Complications of PEG tube insertion include infection,
swelling, bleeding, leakage, peritonitis, hyper-granulation and blockage.
Many of these can be prevented with meticulous nursing care. PEG-related
complication rates were audited on an acute stroke unit. Subsequent to
this, a PEG nursing care plan (PEG-NCP) was devised to optimise
management and reduce complication rates on the unit.