Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) Tube Placement

A PEG tube (short for “percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy” tube) is a feeding tube that enables patients for whom swallowing is difficult or impossible to receive food, liquid and medication by bypassing the mouth and throat. Placement of a feeding tube via endoscopic method requires your physician to thread an endoscope from the mouth and down into the esophagus to determine the location where the tube will enter the stomach from the abdomen. The process usually takes a little over 30 minutes to perform. An overnight stay may be required for patients undergoing this procedure. Prior to leaving the hospital, the patient and his or her caregivers are instructed on how to use and maintain the PEG tube and on prepared formulas for use in enteral tube feeding.