Gastrostomy - an opening in the abdominal cavity, designed to feed a patient who, for some reason, cannot eat on his own. One of the questions of interest to people with a gastrostomy and their relatives: "How to care for a gastrostomy?" This will be discussed in this article.
When is gastrostomy indicated?
The operation is performed in cases where a person is unable to eat naturally. This situation occurs in some diseases, such as tumors that make it impossible to swallow and pass food, or in cases of trauma to the esophagus or congenital obstruction. Gastrostomy can be both permanent and temporary, with the second option being much more common than the first. But in any case, caring for the gastrostomy is a must-have event that can alleviate the patient's condition.
How to feed a gastrostomy patient?
Basicthe purpose of this operation is the ability to feed a person in cases where natural nutrition is impossible for one reason or another. Caring for a patient with a gastrostomy involves not only hygiene procedures, but also feeding the patient both in a hospital and at home.
Today, the gastrostomy technique itself has undergone a number of changes. Previously, a rubber tube was attached to the opening in the abdominal cavity, but now there are such varieties when the catheter for feeding is inserted just before feeding begins.
If a probe is attached to the gastrostomy, you will need a Janet funnel or syringe, 100 ml of boiled water and the liquid food itself to eat. Before the procedure, it is necessary to wash the hands of the person who will carry it out. The patient is fed in the supine position: you need to help him take the Fowler position, then remove the clamp from the probe and attach the Janet funnel or syringe. Food is introduced through the funnel in small portions so as not to cause discomfort to the patient. Also, it should not be hot - the optimum temperature is 45 degrees, which contributes to its better absorption. After feeding, the probe is washed with warm boiled water, a clamp is placed. Care of the gastrostomy immediately after feeding is to hold the toilet hole.
Gastrostomy feeding at home
In general, the feeding technique at home does not differ from the above. Sometimes the patient is allowed tochew food. After that, it is diluted in a glass of liquid and poured into a funnel already in a diluted form. With this option, the reflex excitation of gastric secretion is preserved.
After the procedure, the probe must be washed with warm water, and the patient should be given the opportunity to rinse his mouth. Therefore, in order to spit out water, it is necessary to provide an appropriate container. Care of the gastrostomy after feeding also consists in carrying out hygiene procedures so that food particles do not remain in the probe and the hole itself. The funnel should be boiled in a soda solution (two percent) for 15-20 minutes. Then it needs to be dried and covered with a napkin.
Carrying out hygiene procedures for a patient with a gastrostomy
Gastrostomy is a procedure that can be both temporary and permanent. This means that with a gastrostomy, a person will have to live at home. If in the hospital the issues of caring for the hole in the abdominal cavity are the concern of the medical staff, then outside the medical institution this becomes the responsibility of the patient's relatives and friends. Gastrostomy care at home is not only about feeding, but also about hygiene.
It should be remembered that for a patient, the impossibility of a traditional meal often causes psychological discomfort: a person cannot appreciate the taste, and the very presence of a hole in the stomach also causes discomfort.
It is possible to take a shower 10 days afteroperation, unless otherwise specified. The probe must be closed with a valve.
Gastrostomy skin care is as follows:
1. The hair around the hole should be carefully shaved.
2. After completing the feeding, it is necessary to wipe the skin with water - always warm and boiled, or better - with a solution of furacilin. You can also treat the skin around the hole with a solution of potassium permanganate. To prepare it, dissolve a few crystals in a glass of water.
3. Apply the ointment prescribed by your he althcare professional to the skin around the hole. As a rule, this is Stomagezin ointment or zinc paste, as well as Lassar paste or dermatol. Wait until the substance is absorbed, and remove what is left with a napkin. From above, the skin can be sprinkled with talcum powder.
Carrying out these procedures will save the skin from irritation by gastric juice. With proper care of the gastrostomy, patient discomfort can be minimized as much as possible.
