Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy ( PEG ) is the surgical procedure by which an opening is created on the stomach and subsequently on the abdomen, in order to insert a tube (or tube ) for artificial nutrition .
OPERATIONAL STAGES OF THE PEG
Minor surgery, PEG involves local anesthesia and the use of an instrument called an endoscope . The latter has a camera connected to an external monitor and a light source; camera and light source are used to observe the organs from the inside.
Going into more detail, here's what happens exactly ...
Once the patient is lying on the operating table, the operating doctor (or an anesthetist) anesthetizes the throat with a lidocaine- based spray. This is so that the conduction of the endoscope from the mouth to the stomach does not cause excessive pain.
With the endoscope in the stomach, the stomach wall is adhered to the abdominal wall, so as to facilitate the next step: the double perforation, through the needle, of the abdomen and stomach. Obviously, double drilling requires local anesthesia.
A cannula is inserted into the hole just made and a thread is introduced through the cannula .
This wire is hooked, in some way, to the endoscope and, through the same endoscope, extracted from the mouth. Then, at the end of the extracted wire, the attending physician connects the tube for artificial nutrition.
At this point, for the correct placement of the tube in the abdomen, it is sufficient to pull the opposite end of the thread, located at the level of the cannula.
To prevent the tube from escaping from the abdomen, there is special swelling (called "onion"), located on the opposite side to that which will have to emerge to connect the nutritional bag.
