Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube is the modality of choice for long-term enteral nutrition. In the event that replacement tubes are not available, urinary catheters can be used to maintain patency of the gastrostomy tract. This study reports our experience in a nurse-led service using Foley catheters as temporary gastrostomy tubes and the associated complications. Patients who had used Foley catheter as gastrostomy tube over a 2-year period (Jan 2011 to December 2012) were studied. Twenty-one patients had used Foley catheters as a temporary gastrostomy tube, and 12 (57.4%) did not experience any complications, including three patients who were still using Foley catheters at a median of 15 months (range 3-18). Two patients preferred the Foley catheter as feeding tubes. Six patients had replacements with formal balloon replacement tubes, and two patients did not require replacement. Complications occurred in nine (42.6%) patients: repeated burst Foley catheter balloon with peristomal leakage (n = 4), lumen blockage (n = 1), and catheter migration resulting in small bowel obstruction (n = 4). All complications were successfully managed with tube replacements. We showed that in a nurse-led service, using a Foley catheter as a temporary feeding gastrostomy tube is safe, but requires monitoring for complications.
We would like to emphasize the importance of actively searching for infections, even if not clinically evident, in any cirrhotic patient with cognitive impairment.
Conflict of interestThe authors declared that they do not have anything to disclose regarding funding or conflict of interest with respect to this manuscript.
Biliary cystadenoma is a rare tumor of the biliary tree and a rare cause of obstructive jaundice. Most are intrahepatic, and pure extrahepatic biliary cystadenoma is less common. Cases are more common in women. Unless suspected, diagnosis of extrahepatic biliary cystadenoma is often delayed. Here, we report the case of a young woman with extrahepatic biliary cystadenoma who presented at Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Hospital with obstructive jaundice initially thought to be due to a large biliary stone based on the endoscopic cholangiogram image. She was successfully managed with resection of the cystadenoma.
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