Enteral nutrition: our experience with percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) and revision of literature

Enteral nutrition (EN), as parenteral nutrition (PN), can be used in cases of patients whose medical conditions prevent the intake of food by mouth; unlike PN, EN keeps the functionality of the digestive tract and it makes home management of patients easier. However, the experience and literature have documented a number of serious complications, fortunately rare, which depend on the methods used in EN realization. We report in this paper our experience in 44 cases of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG), concluding that it is a safe and complications-free procedure. We believe that a nutritional intervention is indicated when, improving nutritional status, patients can obtain a better quality of life and have an average life expectancy.