KM Cheung, CH Lo, PWT Tse, KH Chan

Abstract

Stoma complications were common in developmental delayed children on gastrostomy feeding. Fifty-one children were on gastrostomy feeding in the Development Disabilities Unit in Caritas Medical Centre. In 2001, 8.3% had stoma erosions and 25% had granuloma and 33% had inflammations around the stoma. After the pilot of a monitor program for gastrostomy care to all the caretakers, 13.9% of patients had stoma erosions, 30% had stoma granuloma and 2.3% had inflamed stoma. The frequency of stoma complications decreased further (6.9% had stoma erosions, 6.9% had stoma granuloma and 9.3% had inflamed stoma) seven months after the program had been carried out. Our results suggested that local complications of gastrostomy stoma can be reduced by providing education to the caretakers together with frequent monitor.