title: Poor results with percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy.
abstract: A percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy was placed in 20 malnourished patients to serve as a conduit for passage of a percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy (PEJ) catheter for delivery of alimentation directly into the small bowel. Serious complications occurred in 95% of the patients and 50% of the subjects died. Aspiration was the most common adverse event and accounted for all deaths. Ten of 15 subjects (67%) treated with a PEJ to prevent aspiration continued to aspirate after the catheter was placed. PEJ tube failures were documented in 14 subjects (70%) and occurred because of occlusion, leakage, malposition, extrusion, cracking, kinking, or rupture of the catheter. These problems rendered the PEJ nonfunctional 18% of the time. Large manpower and resource investments were required to manage the PEJ and its complications. Our results suggest that enteral feeding through a PEJ does not prevent aspiration. Serious PEJ-related morbidity (95%), mortality (50%), and catheter failures (70%) occur. Refinements in methodology and catheter design will be required before additional use of this technique can be recommended.
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Division, Carl T. Hayden Veterans Administration Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona 85012.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: DiSario
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Foutch
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Sanowski
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004724:Endoscopy; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D004868:Equipment Failure; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000209:etiology; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007582:Jejunostomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D011015:Pneumonia, Aspiration / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies