Does gastrostomy improve the lives of children with severe disability and their families?

每年约有750名澳大利亚儿童出生时就患有严重的智力残疾。问题可能包括喂养困难和频繁住院。可以通过胃造口管向胃内进食。我们将在新南威尔士州和西澳进行一项数据关联研究，并在西澳收集更多数据，以调查胃造口术的使用模式及其安全性、有效性和成本。我们的发现将有助于智障人士喂养不良的管理。

Around 750 Australian children are born each year with severe intellectual disability. Problems may include feeding difficulties and frequent hospitalisations. Feeding via a gastrostomy tube into the stomach can be used. We will conduct a data linkage study in NSW and WA, and collect additional data in WA to investigate patterns of gastrostomy use and its safety, effectiveness and costs. Our findings will help the management of poor feeding in intellectual disability.