Safety of Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Tube Placement in Patients with Continuous-Flow Ventricular Assist Devices

Abstract

In this retrospective study, the safety of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube placement was evaluated as maintaining adequate nutritional support for patients with left ventricular assist devices is crucial. Nineteen patients who underwent PEG tube placement were followed for an average of 40 days. Overall, minor complications such as infections, bleeding, and PEG tube malposition occurred in just 19% of patients while the rate of major complications such as perforation was 5%. Further randomized control trials are necessary to validate this assertion that the safety of PEG placement in patients with left ventricular assist devices is similar to that of the general population.