Which is more effective to prevent enteral nutrition-related complications, high- or medium-viscosity thickened enteral formula in patients with percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy?: a single-center retrospective chart review.
BACKGROUND
Administration of thickened enteral formula (TEF) through a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube is becoming a common practice in Japan to prevent enteral nutrition (EN)-related complications. However, what constitutes an adequate viscosity of TEF remains unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the clinical effects of TEFs with different viscosities administered through PEG.


METHODS
The subjects were 50 patients admitted to a single institution who underwent PEG placement. Viscosities of TEFs frequently administered to the patients were measured, and EN-related complications, nutrition intakes, and clinical outcomes were compared between high- and medium-viscosity TEFs during the first 2 weeks after TEF feeding initiation.


RESULTS
The measured viscosities of high- and medium-viscosity TEFs were 10,382 ± 931 and 3492 ± 296 mPa·s, respectively. Protein and fluid intakes with TEF were significantly less in the high-viscosity group. There was no significant difference in EN-related complications, energy intakes, or clinical outcomes between high- and medium-viscosity TEFs.


CONCLUSIONS
In this study, high-viscosity TEFs showed no statistical difference in either EN-related complications or clinical outcomes, in comparison with medium-viscosity TEF.
Department of Nutrition Management, Kobe City Hospital Organization Medical Center West Hospital, Kobe, Japan. Satomi.ichimaru@gmail.com
Satomi
S
Ichimaru
Teruyoshi
T
Amagai
Maki
M
Wakita
Yoshihiko
Y
Shiro
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004724:Endoscopy; D002149:Energy Intake; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005526:Food, Formulated / Q000032:analysis*; D005774:Gastrostomy; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014783:Viscosity