# A Rare Complication of Laparoscopic-Assisted Percutaneous Gastrostomy Tube Placement Through the Posterior Gastric Wall

## TL;DR

A rare but serious complication occurred when a gastrostomy tube was placed through both walls of a patient's stomach, leading to internal bleeding but being successfully corrected.

## Contribution

This case report highlights a rare complication of gastrostomy tube placement through both gastric walls and its successful surgical correction.

## Key findings

- A 78-year-old male had a gastrostomy tube placed through both anterior and posterior gastric walls during a laparoscopic procedure.
- The malpositioned tube caused coffee-ground hematemesis on the first postoperative day.
- The tube was surgically repaired in a timely manner without significant complications.

## Abstract

Complications of gastrostomy tube placement and enteral feeding are common. However, most are minor and without serious adverse effects, such as superficial skin infections, peristomal leakage, tube dislodgement, and minor bleeding. Misplacement of a gastrostomy tube through the anterior and posterior gastric walls is a rare but serious complication. If not detected and corrected, it could have serious and potentially life-threatening consequences for the patient. We present a case of a 78-year-old male with acute stroke and resultant severe oropharyngeal dysphagia requiring long-term enteric feeding tube placement complicated by a malpositioned gastrostomy tube that was placed through both the anterior and posterior walls of the stomach during a laparoscopic procedure, resulting in coffee-ground hematemesis on the first postoperative day. Investigation revealed the malpositioned tube, which was surgically repaired on time without significant morbidity.