James talks to Anastasia Volovets about gastrostomy feeding tubes, which can be used in patients with prolonged inadequate or absent oral intake to provide a route for enteral feeding, hydration, and medication administration. Gastrostomy feeding tubes are an appropriate long-term solution in appropriate patients. However, they have significant morbidity so they may not be in the best interest of the patient. Learn more about enteral feeding and feeding tubes in this podcast.
Summary Writer: Claudia Hurwitz
Script Writer: Anastasia Volovets
Editor: Anastasia Volovets
Interviewee: Anastasia Volovets
Dr Anastasia Volovets is a consultant gastroenterologist and hepatologist. After completing her advanced training at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, she took off for the green pastures of Edinburgh in Scotland to complete a fellowship in advanced liver disease and liver transplantation. On return she did some more liver transplantology as a consultant before settling into a part-time staff specialist duties at RPA as well as some private practice locally.
Anastasia loves teaching patients, nurses, medical students and other doctors almost as much as she loves the liver. She is currently involved in developing a statewide curriculum on gastrostomy feeding in her spare time and can often be found wandering the hospital with a cup of coffee and a toxicology textbook.
With Dr Anastasia Volovets, Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia
In patients with prolonged inadequate or absent oral intake gastrostomy tubes can be used to provide a route for enteral feeding, hydration, and medication administration.
You are a junior doctor on the wards and you’re called to see a 65-year-old male, who is day 5 post-stroke with an impaired swallow. He is unable to tolerate oral feed and his family is worried he will starve to death.
IV fluids do not provide the caloric support or nutrients needed by patients, after 48 hours of impaired oral feeding, enteral feeding should be considered.
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