How do I prepare for gastrostomy feeding tube placement?
The procedure can be done in 3 ways: open gastrostomy tube placement by a surgeon percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube placement by a medical doctor called a gastroenterologist at an endoscopy clinic or hospital percutaneous fluoroscopic gastrostomy tube placement guided by X-rays and done by a radiologist. For open gastrostomy tube placement, you will receive a general anesthetic. It will relax your muscles and put you to sleep. It will prevent you from feeling pain during the operation. The surgeon will make a cut in your skin and the abdominal wall and then a cut through the wall of the stomach. The surgeon will place a tube through these cuts into the stomach. Sometimes the tube will be threaded further into the duodenum, which is the first part of the intestines. This may require a smaller tube, which can get plugged more easily but it decreases the risk of vomiting. The surgeon will sew the tube to the abdominal wall and close the cut. For percutaneous endoscopic gastro
