User login

Enter your username and password here in order to log in on the website:
Login

Forgot your password?

Please note: While some information will still be current in a year, other information may already be out of date in three months time. If you are in any doubt, please feel free to ask.

Tube feeding in Cystic Fibrosis

Question
Hello,
we have a 9-year-old son suffering from CF. He has been quite malnourished for a long time. Now, a tube shall be inserted going from the outside into the stomach (percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomie, PEG). Can somebody with experience tell me the advantages and disadvantages for patients with CF?
Answer
Dear parents,
as you describe in your question, your son is quite malnourished. I assume that you tried everything to improve the nutritional situation of your son and, therefore, your physicians at your CF-center recommended the implementation of a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomie (PEG). The operation for the implementation of a PEG into the stomach is done in a short anesthesia which lasts - under normal conditions - about 15-30 minutes and which is usually well tolerated.
One disadvantage is that the outer end of the PEG-tube sticks about 10-20cm out of the skin and is visible for example when swimming. After the PEG has healed in, the tube can be replaced by a button, which is less visible.
The big advantage of a PEG lies within the fact that you can supply relatively easy high calory tube feeding at night, when your son is normally not taking in any food, and that this high calory food is an additional supply for the body togehter with the daily meals. Often this results in a gain of weight and even in an improvement of the lung function. The time interval between the tube feeding and the next normal meal should be at least 4-6 hours in order to develope a feeling of hunger. A very rare complication is the infection of the tube at the place where it goes from the outside into the stomach. However, these infections are usually easy to treat.
I whish you all the best for you and your son!
Best regards,

Dr. E. Rietschel
26.10.2007