Abstract
[Purpose] The usefulness of PEG for very old patients aged 90 years or older was investigated.
[Patients and Methods] Preoperative background, perioperative management, and prognosis were investigated in 34 very old patients aged 90 years and older who underwent PEG between January 2001 and December 2007.
[Results] The mean age was 92.9 years, and there were 7 men and 27 women. The most frequent main underlying disease was cerebrovascular disorder in 19 patients. The most frequent reason for applying PEG was dysphasia with a past medical history of aspiration pneumonia in 19 patients. Postoperative complications occurred in 88.2% within 30 days and 58.8% thereafter, and the frequency of pneumonia was high. The 2-year survival rate was 38.6%. Regarding prognostic factors, a past history of aspiration pneumonia and a nutrition index, a total lymphocyte count lower than 1200/mm3, were factors significantly related to poor outcomes on univariate analysis (p<0.05), but no independent prognostic factor was extracted on the multivariate analysis.
[Conclusion] The incidence of postoperative complications was high. Respiratory infection control and preoperative intervention through nutrition therapy may improve the outcome.
