TEMPORARY PERCUTANEOUS ENDOSCOPIC GASTROSTOMY – USEFULNESS AND FOLLOW-UP

Aims:

The study's aim was to evaluate a group of patients that had percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) placement regarding the indications of PEG, period of usage, type of nutrition and quality of life.

Methods:

We assessed 117 patients over a period of one year, 92 men and 25 women, aged between 25 and 81 years old in whom we inserted PEG tubes on an inpatient basis. We evaluated the main indications for PEG placement, the procedural complications, the time period between placement and removal, the duration of feeding using the PEG, the type of nutrition used, the weight variations and the overall quality of life in these patients.

Results:

The results showed that 85% of the patients suffered from head and neck cancers and necessitated PEG prior to the beginning of radiotherapy, other indications for PEG were neurological diseases and head and neck trauma. 35 patients out of 117 had their PEG removed, the average time of keeping the tube being 4.2 months, while the average time of feeding using it was 2.2 months. While we encountered no complications during PEG placement, we found 4 buried bumpers upon removal of the tubes; one case of bleeding which resolved by endoscopic hemostasis and one case of peristomal ulcer. Concerning feeding using the PEG tube, we correlated the usage of mixed nutrition (cooked food and enteral formulas) with weight loss, compared to patients who only consumed enteral formulas who maintained their weight or even had a weight gain during the period they used the PEG.

Conclusions:

We concluded that PEG is a safe procedure, relatively easy to perform, often needed for patients suffering from head and neck cancer, being a good method to maintain their weight and quality of life during their oncological treatment.