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Parent‐Reported Effects of Gastrostomy Tube Placement
Author(s) -
Åvitsland Tone Lise,
Birketvedt Kjersti,
Bjørnland Kristin,
Emblem Ragnhild
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
nutrition in clinical practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.725
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1941-2452
pISSN - 0884-5336
DOI - 10.1177/0884533613486484
Subject(s) - medicine , gastrostomy tube , gastrostomy , tube (container) , feeding tube , surgery , waste management , engineering
Background : For children with major feeding problems and their parents, meals may be unpleasant. We aimed to evaluate how insertion of a gastrostomy tube influenced parent‐child communication and satisfaction during meals, as well as duration of meals, oral intake, vomiting, and growth. Materials and Methods : Children admitted for a gastrostomy tube placement were included. Age, sex, diagnosis, and preoperative nasogastric tube were registered. Weight, height, oral feeding, duration of meals, and vomiting were assessed preoperatively and 6 and 18 months postoperatively. We used a numeric rating scale to assess parent‐reported parental stress, child satisfaction, parent satisfaction, and parent‐child communication during meals at all 3 time points. Results: Fifty‐eight children were included: 33 boys and 25 girls. Median age was 1.7 years (range, 0.5–14.7 years). Thirty‐nine were neurologically impaired, and 44 had a nasogastric tube for a median of 7.5 months (range, 0.5–28 months) preoperatively. Child satisfaction ( P = .001), parent satisfaction ( P = .006), and parent‐child communication ( P = .026) during meals were significantly improved 18 months after receiving a gastrostomy tube. Vomiting was reduced in 42%, oral intake increased in 49%, and weight‐for‐height percentile increased in 55% of the children. Conclusions : In children with major feeding problems, a gastrostomy tube improved parent‐child communication and satisfaction during meals. Furthermore, oral intake was increased, and vomiting was reduced. Growth improved in around half of the children.