Buried bumper syndrome - complication of enteral nutrition

Good nutritional status of the patient is very often key to successful medical intervention. For patients capable of safe and efficient swallowing, the modification of diet or introduction of oral nutritional supplements is sufficient. In patients with swallowing disorders, regardless of their aetiology, artificial nutrition access is required. In the case of long-term nutritional therapy, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) insertion is considered the gold standard. The procedure of inserting a PEG feeding tube is not difficult to perform and is widely used. As any invasive medical procedure, PEG tube insertion involves the risk of complications. Typical complications that may follow this common procedure include dislodgement, dysfunction, skin infection in the area of PEG catheter placement and aspiration of gastric contents. A rare or rather rarely diagnosed complication that may result from PEG tube placement is the migration of the internal bumper under the gastric mucosa, or even deeper. This can result in the covering of the internal bumper with granulation tissue and gradual loss of its functionality. Correct prevention and treatment allows to keep the catheter functionality and protect against other serious, often life-threatening, complications such as extensive phlegmon infection of the anterior abdominal wall. The best prophylaxis is the education of caregivers providing long-term care of the PEG outside of hospital. Early recognition of the complication allows for preservative treatment and maintenance of a fully functional nutrition access. In the case of extensive and deep migration and the site being fully covered with mucosa, PEG removal and insertion of a new one is often necessary. In some cases, it is possible to use the existing, mature PEG canal with well-defined edges; however, in the case of severe infection a new PEG tube is inserted at another site.