Former Uruguayan President José Mujica underwent gastrostomy: what does the procedure consist of?

• The procedure was successful and the former president is recovering after surgery

Former Uruguayan President José Mujica underwent surgery on September 7 at the health center where he is currently hospitalized, where he underwent a gastrostomy for nutrition.

This was stated in a press conference by his personal physician, Raquel Pannone, who stressed that the procedure was carried out in the morning, its result was “excellent” and the former president is recovering accompanied by his wife, Lucía Topolansky.

“The situation, as I told you 48 hours ago, was to try to achieve oral feeding in the best conditions, with the appropriate preparation. We tried to do it and the result was not entirely satisfactory,” said the doctor, who added that this led them to take the decision to go up a new level and perform a gastrostomy for feeding.

What is a gastrostomy?

The Mayo Clinic says that gastrostomy is a surgical procedure in which a tube is inserted through the skin of the abdomen into the stomach for feeding. This procedure is performed when the patient is unable to eat enough to obtain the nutrients he or she needs.

Raquel Pannone said that the procedure for Mujica allows for safe access to food and hydration, with a good flow to allow: “While this is going on, the esophagus can repair itself naturally. That is what we are aiming for: to have it better nourished, well hydrated and to give the esophagus time to complete the natural stages of recovery,” she explained.

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He added that it is not known how long the process will take and that it will depend on its nature and evolution. He also added that when it is over, Mujica will return to a normal diet.

In the meantime, the doctor explained, the former president will be fed with certain preparations or with foods with an appropriate consistency.

“We will continue to test his oral tolerance gradually and as soon as this is fine, he will be able to eat normally again,” Pannone reiterated, adding that Mujica will remain hospitalized for a few more days.

Jose Mujica’s health

EFE

The former president was admitted to a health center in Montevideo on September 5, where he began to be rehydrated after receiving little fluids.

Pannone explained this at a press conference that day, in which he indicated that the former president has fibrosis in the esophagus as a consequence of the radiotherapy treatment he received in that area, which causes him difficulty in eating.

“Pepe is back in the hospital. The reason for his transfer to the hospital this time is that he was receiving very little oral fluids at home and was not receiving enough food. That was the reason for his transfer,” said the doctor.

He added that he was given tests and started to be rehydrated intravenously.

Previously, the former president had already entered the sanatorium after having difficulties eating caused by the radiotherapy treatment which he received months ago due to a malignant tumor in the esophagus.

The former president announced that he had a malignant tumor of the esophagus April 29th.

In his statement about the disease, he indicated that it affected -among other things- his kidneys, which creates “obvious difficulties” for chemotherapy techniques or surgery.

In April 2021, former President Mujica was urgently admitted to hospital for what was initially thought to be a fish bone stuck in his esophagus. After performing an endoscopic procedure, it was determined that an ulcer was caused by a foreign body that later migrated to the digestive system and could not be found. This was reported at the time by Dr. Andrés Munyo during a press conference.

After that he was discharged and had to rest for a few days.

With information from EFE

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