Elective home replacement of gastrostomy feeding tubes is safe and cost-effective. Has hospital referral become obsolete?

none5noPercutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is the technique of choice for providing enteral nutrition in patients with functioning gastrointestinal tract. Available guidelines cover indications and procedural management for PEG placement, while there is no consensus about subsequent replacement with gastrostomy feeding tubes (GFT) and their management. We hypothesized that GFT replacement, according to a standardized protocol supervised by a trained gastroenterologist could be integrated into the home health care system.mixedCominardi, Anna; Lisotti, Andrea; Teci, Elena; Mangano, Giovanni; Fusaroli, PietroCominardi, Anna; Lisotti, Andrea; Teci, Elena; Mangano, Giovanni; Fusaroli, Pietr