Care for gastrostomy. Feeding the patient with a gastrostomy

Gastrostoma - an opening in the abdominal cavity, intended for feeding the patient, which for some reason can not feed independently. One of the questions that interest people with gastrostomy and their loved ones: "How to care for the gastrostomy?" This will be discussed in this article.

In what cases is gastrostomy?

The operation is carried out in cases where a person does not have the ability to take food naturally. This situation occurs with certain diseases, for example, tumors that make it impossible to swallow and pass food, or in cases of injury to the esophagus or congenital obstruction. Gastrostomy can be both permanent and temporary, and the second variant is much more common than the first. But in any case, caring for a gastrostomy is an obligatory measure that can ease the patient's condition.

How to feed a patient with a gastrostomy?

The main purpose of this operation is the ability to feed a person in cases when nutrition by natural means is impossible for one reason or another. Caring for a patient with a gastrostomy involves not only carrying out hygiene procedures, but also feeding the patient both in a hospital and at home.

To date, the technique of gastrostomy has undergone a number of changes. Earlier, a rubber probe attached to the hole in the abdominal cavity, and now there are such varieties, when a catheter for food intake is introduced immediately before the beginning of feeding.

In the event that a probe is attached to the gastrostomy, a funnel or Janet syringe, 100 ml of boiled water and the food itself of liquid consistency will be required for food intake. Before the procedure, it is necessary to wash the hands of the person who will conduct it. The patient is fed in prone position: you need to help him take Fowler's position, then remove the clamp from the probe and attach the funnel or syringe to Jane. The 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 optimal temperature is 45 degrees, which contributes to its better assimilation. After feeding, the probe is washed with warm boiled water, a clamp is placed. Care for gastrostomy immediately after feeding is to hold the toilet hole.

Feeding through the gastrostomy in the home

In general, the technique of feeding home does not differ from the above. Sometimes the patient is allowed to chew on his own. After that, it is bred in a glass with liquid and already in a diluted form poured into the funnel. With this option, reflex excitation of gastric secretion remains.

After the procedure, the probe should be rinsed with warm water, and the patient should be allowed to rinse the mouth. Therefore, in order to spit the water, it is necessary to ensure the availability of a suitable container. Care for gastrostomy after feeding also consists in carrying out hygienic procedures so that food particles do not remain in the probe and the opening itself. The funnel should be boiled in soda solution (2%) for 15-20 minutes. Then it must be dried and covered with a napkin.

Conducting hygienic procedures for patients with gastrostomy

Gastrostomy is a procedure that is both temporary and permanent. This means that with a gastrostomy a person will have to live at home. If in the hospital questions of care of the hole in the abdominal cavity are the concern of the medical staff, then outside the medical institution it becomes the responsibility of the family and friends of the patient. Care for gastrostomy at home is not only in the feeding, but also in the implementation of hygiene procedures.

It should be remembered that for a patient often the impossibility of traditional food intake delivers psychological discomfort: a person can not appreciate the taste, and the presence of an opening in the abdomen also causes unpleasant sensations.

It is possible to take a shower 10 days after the operation, unless there are any special instructions. At the same time, the probe must be closed by a valve.

Care of the skin around the gastrostomy is as follows:

1. The hair around the hole should be carefully shaved.

2. After completing the feeding, you need to wipe the skin with water - always warm and boiled, or better - with a solution of furacilin. It is also possible to treat the skin around the opening with a solution of potassium permanganate. For its preparation, dissolve several crystals in a glass of water.

3. Apply the ointment prescribed by the treating specialist to the skin around the opening. As a rule, it is ointment "Stomagezin" or zinc paste, as well as Lassar paste or dermatol. Wait until the substance has absorbed, and what remains is removed with a napkin. On top of the skin can be sprinkled with talc.

Carrying out these procedures will protect the skin from irritation with gastric juice. With proper care of the gastrostomy, you can minimize the unpleasant feelings of the patient.