Ethical and Medicolegal Issues Related to Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Placement

Enteral nutrition, in many respects more than other medical interventions, has been in the limelight concerning the ethics of withdrawing or withholding nutritional support. This article describes the ethical and legal issues surrounding enteral nutrition, identifies the elements of informed consent for enteral nutrition, provides an overview of the endoscopic gastrostomy procedure, and offers recommendations for addressing ethicolegal issues in enteral nutrition.