Immediate Tube Feeding after Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy: Early Return to Goal Tube Feeds without Added Complications.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is frequently performed for delivery of nonoral enteral nutrition (EN) in critically ill patients. Tube-based supplement initiation is often delayed for a variety of reasons despite evidence that EN interruption results in worse outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To determine if early initiation of EN after PEG placement is safe and well-tolerated in critically ill patients and if early initiation of EN results in more goal-accomplished days of EN. DESIGN: A retrospective chart review of patients who underwent PEG and at least 24 hours of EN. Patients were stratified according to time to tube- feed initiation: immediate (< one hour), early (one to four hours), and late (four to 24 hours). RESULTS: 'Ihe three groups were similar with respect to demographics, comorbidities, and 30-day mortality. Sixty-one percent of patients in the immediate group were advanced to the previously-met goal EN rates compared to 24% and 18% in the early and delayed groups, respectively (P < .0001). CONCLUSION: Immediate reinitiation of nonoral EN after PEG procedure is safe and is associated with reaching goal nutrition faster.