Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy: Technical Problems, Complications, and Management

Abstract

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is an important technique for the provision of nutrition. The present study presents data from our analysis of the PEG procedure. Patients administered with PEG at the endoscopy unit of the 19 Mayis University General Surgery Department between 2007 and 2013 were analyzed retrospectively, and technical problems, indications, and complications related to the PEG procedure in 221 patients were evaluated. Of the patients, 60 % were male and the median age was 61 years (1892 years). The most frequent indication was admittance to the intensive care unit, accounting for 46 % of the total, followed by neurological disease, with 41 %. The success rate of the procedure was 98 %, and the overall rate of complications was 22 %. No mortalities were reported as resulting from the procedure. The most common complication was the development of granulomas around the tube (8 %). PEG is a safe method of long-term feeding but is associated with a high rate of morbidity that can be treated easily using conservative treatment methods.