Biomedical Research

Background and Aims: Existed studies about Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) were mainly aimed at certain patient populations and data came from China are quite limited. Our aim was to investigate whether PEG in South China is effective and to compare the indications and complications of PEG with those reported in the literature.

Materials and Methods: Patients underwent PEG procedure during the period from January 2000 to October 2014 in Nanfang Hospital were retrospectively collected and analysed. The patients’ lymphocyte counts, leukocyte counts, serum albumin, hemoglobin, serum total protein, weight and BMI before and after PEG operation were reviewed as the main outcome measurement. Indications, complications and success rates of PEG procedure were also evaluated.

Results: A total of 84 patients (61 males, 23 females) were enrolled, with an average age of 55.01 ± 15.16 y (range 3.0-92 y). The overall success rate is about 98.8%. The most common indication for PEG in South China is head and neck cancer (27/84, 32.1%). Significant differences were observed in parameters such as lymphocyte counts, serum albumin, serum total protein, body weight, BMI before and after PEG operation.(1.29 vs. 1.76, p=0.005; 33.58 vs. 33.66, p=0.012; 62.82 vs. 67.29, p=0.018; 43.62 vs. 48.29, p=0.044; 16.24 vs. 18, p=0.030; respectively). The most common procedure-related complication was PEG tube removal (6/84, 7.14%), which were all well managed.

Conclusions: This is the first retrospective case series evaluating PEG procedure in South China. Our results indicate that PEG is an effective and safe method for long-term enteral nutrition.

Author(s): Chunli Cao, Chunli Cong, Yue Li, Yan Meng, Shirong Kang
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