Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in older patient population

Background and Aims: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy is commonly used in patients with nutrition problems who require long-term tube feeding. The first aim of this study was to investigate the change in percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy utilization and patient characteristics over time in our clinic. Our second aim was to compare older and middle-aged patients in terms of indications for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, complications,and survival following percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy insertion. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study in which the data on patients who underwent percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy placement between May 2011 and June 2015 were analyzed. After demographic and clinical variables were collected, complications and survival were assessed. All outcomes of older and middle-aged patients were compared. Results: Data on 298 patients were evaluated. There were 156 women and 142 men, with a median age of 82 years. The prevailing indication for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy insertion was cerebrovascular disorders. We noticed that the mean age of our patient population had increased over the years. Clinical outcomes and complications, except length of stay in hospital, were similar in the two groups. There was no difference in the 3-month- and 1-year survival rates between older and middle-aged patients. Conclusion: As the national and global populations age, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy is a safe procedure and is not associated with increased mortality, especially in geriatric patients