Objectives: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is often used for long-term enteral feeding. Various PEG kits are currently available. A technical evaluation could be useful in providing a criteria of choice between the different kits.
Methods: Therefore, from January 1995 to January 1998, we prospectively performed a short- and a mid-term technical evaluation of 150 PEG kits: 106 Compat Sandoz, 37 Flocare Nutricia et 7 Sherwood.
Results: In 20% of the patients studied, technical problems during endoscopic insertion of the probe were observed. Only minor incidents were found for Compat Sandoz and Flocare Nutricia kits. However, major problems occurred with the Sherwood kits leading to a very difficult (4 cases) or impossible (2 cases) transcutaneous introduction of the catheter into the stomach. Mid-term outcome was evaluated in 86 of the 150 patients (57%) with a median follow-up duration of 5 months (range: 1-24). The main finding of the mid-term evaluation was a significant alteration of the Compat Sandoz tube.
Conclusion: This prospective evaluation shows that technical improvement of the available PEG kits are needed, that the PEG polyurethane tube could be preferred for long-term enteral feeding.