Six cases of skin damage related to leakage from a gastrostomy catheter

During April - July, 2007, 79 cases of skin damage accompanied by leakage from a gastrostomy catheter were examined in our department. Of these, we performed a long term study of 6 cases in which leakage was highly apparent. We fixed the gastrostomy catheter in a vertical position. We anticipated that the damaged skin would improve with reduction in the pressure caused by the gastrostomy catheter tube on the skin. We think that this position reduced leakage from the gastrostomy catheter. Of the 6 cases, skin damage improved in 5 without using steroid ointment; the only case in which there was no improvement had a button-type gastric tube.