The cup is half full

The Prevention and Management of Complications associated with established Percutaneous Gastrostomy Tubes in Adults: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review aimed to summarise the best available evidence relating to the prevention and management of complications associated with established percutaneous gastrostomy tubes in adults.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

This review considered studies investigating the effectiveness of strategies to prevent and/or manage complications associated with established percutaneous gastrostomy (PEG) tubes in adults where care was provided in the hospital, aged care or community setting. Complications included PEG stoma site infection, occlusion, site excoriation and inadvertent removal.

SEARCH STRATEGY

The search strategy aimed to find published and unpublished studies and was limited to reports published in the English language. Reference lists of studies that met the inclusion criteria were searched for additional studies. Company representatives were also contacted for information about ongoing or unpublished studies.

METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY

Study reports selected for retrieval were assessed by two independent reviewers for methodological quality prior to inclusion in the review using a critical appraisal instrument developed specifically for this review.

RESULTS

There were 40 studies that met the inclusion criteria for this review. Thirty-five were excluded after critical appraisal. The five remaining studies contained information regarding strategies for the prevention and/or management of site infection, occlusion and inadvertent removal. There were no studies include that addressed excoriation at the stoma site. Reported strategies for the prevention of complications included regular follow-up, the provision of pre discharge instructions and programmed tube changes. Strategies reported for the management of site infection included local antibiotic therapy, skin care and intravenous antibiotic therapy. Reported interventions for the management of occlusion included the use of enzymes, guidewires, flushing, replacement and removal. The only intervention reported for the management of inadvertent removal was replacement.

CONCLUSION

The research regarding the prevention and management of complications associated with PEG tubes is sparse and potentially of poor quality. Interventions are often poorly described and few comparative studies are published. While few recommendations for practice can be made a range of recommendations for future research are provided. There is an urgent need for further research examining many aspects of the prevention and management of complications associated with PEG tubes.

[Surgical access routes in enteral nutrition]

There are many known routes of access to the digestive tract for enteral nutrition (EN) and significant advances have been made in recent years. Administration techniques and nutritional products have also improved. Placement of these systems may be temporary or permanent. Indications often overlap. If feasible, the enteral route is preferred over the parenteral route. When enteral nutrition will last < or = 6 weeks, nasoenteral tubes are the best option. In NE > or = 6 weeks, enterostomy tubes are indicated and the procedure of choice is percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. Postpyloric access should be considered in patients with a high risk of aspiration. Finally, needle catheter jejunostomy during interventions in the upper gastrointestinal tract is the ideal technique for initiating early EN. All these techniques continue to be valid and the choice of procedure will be determined by the patient's clinical status and the experience of the team. The present article is divided into two parts. In the first part, surgical access techniques for EN, their indications and contraindications and the most frequent complications related to the technique, the care of the stoma and the intubation material are analyzed. In the second part, we report data from our personal experience of the various techniques we have performed and describe the patients, results and complications. A total of 287 procedures were performed: 48 surgical gastrostomies, 40 using the technique of Fontan or Stamm, and 8 Janeway gastrostomies; 27 of these procedures were permanent. There were 169 jejunostomy catheters, with a mean dwelling time of 29.05 +/- 21.9 days, and 72 double lumen nasojejunal tubes.

The nasogastric feeding tube as a risk factor for aspiration and aspiration pneumonia

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Aspiration is one of the most common complications in enterally fed patients. The source of aspiration is due to the accumulation of secretions in the pharynx of reflux gastric contents from the stomach into the pharynx. The true prevalence of aspiration is difficult to determine because of vague definitions, poor assessment methods, and varying levels of clinical recognition.

RECENT FINDINGS

There is evidence in the literature showing that the presence of a nasogastric feeding tube is associated with colonization and aspiration of pharyngeal secretions and gastric contents leading to a high incidence of Gram-negative pneumonia in patients on enteral nutrition. However, other aspects may be equally important and should also be considered when evaluating a patient suspected of having aspiration and aspiration pneumonia. The mechanisms responsible for aspiration in patients bearing a nasogastric feeding tube are (1). loss of anatomical integrity of the upper and lower esophageal sphincters, (2). increase in the frequency of transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxations, and (3). desensitization of the pharyngoglottal adduction reflex.

SUMMARY

Sometimes it is possible to differentiate whether the aspirate is gastric or pharyngeal. The kind of bacterial contamination is, however, more difficult to establish. Oral or dental disease, antibiotic therapy, systemic illness or malnutrition and reduction of salivary flow are responsible for colonization of Gram-negative bacteria in oral and pharyngeal flora in nasogastric-tube-fed patients. The use of a nasogastric feeding tube and the administration of food increase gastric pH and lead to colonization of gastric secretions. It has also been suggested that gastric bacteria could migrate upward along the tube and colonize the pharynx.

Physiology of the aerodigestive system and aberrations in that system resulting in aspiration

BACKGROUND

Aspiration pneumonia remains a significant and often devastating problem in critically ill patients. It is unclear whether aspiration pneumonia occurs because of problems in the handling of oropharyngeal secretions or if the reflux of gastric contents is the major etiological factor. Additionally, the obvious breakdown of upper aerodigestive protective mechanisms in the critically ill patient population is largely unstudied. Finally, the impact and contribution of tubes, both endotracheal and nasoenteral, on aspiration pneumonia is unclear.

METHODS

A Medline literature search on scientific and review articles concerning the normal physiology of the aerodigestive tract and factors that compromised normal physiology was undertaken. Readings were supplemented by expert outside opinion from researchers in these fields and from the combined expertise from a multidisciplinary panel of experts assembled at a recent summit on aspiration pneumonia.

RESULTS

Changes in the normal physiology of the aerodigestive tract are vast and varied and dependent on the response to injury, iatrogenic interventions, and the use of nasoenteral and endotracheal tubes. The effects on gastric and esophageal motility are likely dynamic and represent an ongoing but changing risk of reflux for the patient. Nasoenteral and endotracheal tubes likely compromise upper aerodigestive protective mechanisms.

CONCLUSIONS

More research is needed on the functioning of the aerodigestive protective mechanisms in critically ill patients. Understanding of the dynamic changes in gastrointestinal motility will also be an important factor to decrease the incidence of aspiration pneumonia in this patient population.