Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy: a long-term follow-up

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is the preferred method of long-term tube feeding, but only a few studies describe a long-term follow-up. The purpose of this study is to analyze the follow-up of PEG enteral feeding patients in the long term, and to report on the complication and survival rates. Between January 1991 and June 1995, we studied 136 patients (49% cancer and 51% non-cancer patients; male = 68%, female = 32%) after PEG insertion. One hundred twenty-eight patients had a long-term follow-up of over 31 d. The mean duration of PEG feeding was 277 +/- 358 d (range 31-1590): 17% of patients returned to oral feeding, 34% continued enteral nutrition, and 49% died. Major complications occurred in 3% of the patients: 1 aspiration pneumonia, 1 subcutaneous abscess. 2 buried bumper syndrome. Minor complications arose in 14% of our cases: 8 tube blockages, 4 tube dislodgements, 6 site infections. For the whole group of 136 patients, survival probabilities after PEG insertion at 1, 6, 12, and 24 mo were 90.5%, 52%, 42%, and 35%, respectively. After 180 d, the difference in survival probabilities between cancer and non-cancer patients became significant (P < 0.02). Median survival probability was 64% for non-cancer and 39% for cancer patients, and this trend did not change over 2 y.