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Can percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy be carried out safely in the elderly?
Author(s) -
Oh Dong Jun,
Kim Bernice,
Lee Jun Kyu,
Kang Hyoun Woo,
Kim Jae Hak,
Lim Yun Jeong,
Koh MoonSoo,
Lee Jin Ho
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
geriatrics and gerontology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1447-0594
pISSN - 1444-1586
DOI - 10.1111/ggi.12495
Subject(s) - medicine , percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy , pneumomediastinum , dysphagia , peg ratio , gastrostomy , surgery , mortality rate , medical record , complication , finance , economics
Aim Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy ( PEG ) is carried out commonly for patients with dysphagia. Clinicians, however, are often reluctant to carry out PEG in the elderly because of concerns about complications and short life expectancy. The present study aimed to assess the safety of PEG in elderly patients. Methods The medical records of 116 patients who received PEG from O ctober 2005 to M ay 2012 were reviewed retrospectively. Among them, 63 patients were aged 65 years and older (the elderly group), and 53 were aged less than 65 years (the younger group). Results Baseline characteristics showed no significant difference in both groups, except that pulmonary comorbidities was more common in the elderly group ( P = 0.003). Overall, PEG ‐related complications occurred in 23 (19.8%) patients. Wound infections were the most common (15 patients), and followed by gastrointestinal bleeding, esophageal injury, pneumomediastinum and buried bumper syndrome. Although there was no difference in the overall complications, wound infections were less frequent in the elderly group than in the younger group (4 [6.3%] out of 63 vs 11 [20.8%] out of 53, P = 0.027). There were 17 (14.7%) cases of mortality, with three patients (2.5%) dying within 30 days after the procedure and the causes of deaths were unrelated to PEG . No significant difference in mortality rate was observed between the two groups (13 [20.6%] vs 4 [7.5%], P = 0.065). Conclusions PEG can be carried out safely in elderly patients, as procedure‐related complications and mortality did not increase compared with those of younger patients. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2016; 16: 481‐485.