Clinical outcomes and survival following percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy: a longitudinal cohort study

INTRODUCTION: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is a procedure indicated for prolonged enteral nutritional support. Compared with the surgical approach, it is associated with lower morbidity and mortality and improved nutritional recovery. However, local evidence on its clinical outcomes and prognosis remains limited. OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical characteristics, complications, and survival of patients undergoing PEG between 2008 and 2020 at the Hospital of Puerto Montt. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Longitudinal observational cohort study including 748 adult patients who underwent PEG between 2008 and 2020 at the Hospital of Puerto Montt. The etiology of the indication, complications, and survival were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: The most frequent indication was neurological (77.4%), followed by neoplastic causes (17.9%). The overall complication rate was 8.3%. Median overall survival was 491 days, lower in patients with neoplastic indications (249 days) compared to those with neurological indications (545 days). Advanced age and a neoplastic indication were the only factors associated with increased mortality. CONCLUSION: Survival after PEG placement depends on multiple factors, particularly the clinical indication, which should be supported by appropriate evaluation and staging of the underlying disease. In this cohort, PEG placement was associated with no procedure-related mortality and a low rate of complications, which may be underestimated due to the hospital-based nature of the data registry. Survival outcomes were comparable to those reported in the literature.