leaking jtubes

  Hi!
  I had surgery to place a jtube.  The surgery they did allows me to use a gtube button in the stoma.  my question is what do you do when it constantly leaks around the stoma?  The stoma is red and painful, and stuff coming out is watery and cloudy looking.  It reminds you of my tube feeding. My rate is not that high, 25cc an hour for 14 hours.
  jennie
Dear Jennie,
Unfortunately, most jejunostomy tubes eventually leak to a certain degree. This is because the skin breaks down around the tube allowing for intestinal contents to cause further local irritation and skin breakdown. In my clinical experience surgical jejunostomy tubes tend to leak more than endoscopically placed tubes. There are two strategies used to diminish tube leakage. The first is to promote skin healing with ointments such as Criticaid, Zinc Oxide or even topical antibiotics such as Bactroban. The other is to mechanically seal the stoma as much as possible. This involves changing the tube to a larger size tube. This involves another procedure which is associated with potential risks and complications. If the skin breaks down too much the tube may need to be completely removed so that the area can heal on its own. Once the skin heals a new tube may be placed at a different site. I hope you find this information helpful.
This response is being provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Always check with your personal physician when you have a question pertaining to your health.
If you want to be seen at our institution please call 1-800-653-6568, our Referring Physicians' Office and make an appointment to see Dr. Muszkat, one of our experts in Gastroenterology.
HFHSM.D.-ym
*Keywords: jejunostomy tube leakage