title: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy for critically ill patients in a general intensive care unit.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is an effective way of providing enteral feeding to patients with functionally normal gastrointestinal tract who cannot meet their nutritional needs because of inadequate oral intake. This retrospective study evaluated the clinical outcome of critically ill patients with high assistance level undergoing PEG in a general ICU over a 12 year period.
  
  
  METHODS
  we studied a cohort of 82 patients who underwent PEG over a 12-year period between 1 January 1999 and 31 December 2010. Patients were followed-up for 1 year after PEG placement.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no complications related either to the procedure or to the management of PEG, even in house nursing.In one patient, PEG with a collapsible bumper was successfully removed because the patient fully recovered from his neurological problem. Catheter substitution was necessary in three patients during the first year, because of stoma inflammation due to enteric reflux between the stoma and the catheter. One year after PEG, 66 patients were still alive while 16 patients died from the underlying disease during hospitalization. None of the patients with PEG had aspiration pneumonia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PEG, in expert hands, is a safe and effective procedure for enteral nutrition. Moreover, catheters should be chosen in relation to the duration of enteral feeding and as to whether the patient is likely to recover from his underlying disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of anesthetic, surgical and emergency Science, Second University of Naples.
authors.forename: Fausto
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferraro
authors.forename: Antonietta Gerarda
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Gravina
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: d'Elia
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vitiello
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dallio
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.forename: Carmela
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Loguercio
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Federico
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000628:therapy*; D016145:Endoscopy, Digestive System / Q000379:methods*; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005774:Gastrostomy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult