BACKGROUND: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy ( @entity970 ) is offered to @entity746 ( @entity746 ) @entity1 with severe @entity1282 . Immediate benefits of @entity970 are adequate food intake and weight stabilization. However, the impact of @entity970 on survival is still uncertain. In this work we retrospectively evaluated the effect of @entity970 on survival in a cohort of @entity746 @entity1 followed in a tertiary referral centre. METHODS: Between 2000 and 2007, 150 dysphagic @entity746 @entity1 were followed until @entity204 or tracheostomy. @entity970 was placed in 76 @entity1 who accepted the procedure and survival was analysed using the Kaplan-Meier life-table method. RESULTS: In @entity746 @entity1 submitted to @entity970 , no major complications were observed. Total median survival time from symptom onset was 38 months for @entity970 users as compared to 32 months for the remaining dysphagic @entity1 who declined the procedure (p=0.05). Among bulbar-onset @entity1 , @entity970 users showed a median survival time longer than those with no @entity970 (28 months vs. 25 months), even though the difference was not significant. Conversely, dysphagic spinal-onset @entity1 with @entity970 lived significantly longer than those who refused this palliative care (44 months vs. 36 months, p=0.046). Survival in @entity1 with @entity970 was not affected by the severity of the @entity1576 , as measured by forced vital capacity. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that @entity970 improves survival in dysphagic @entity746 @entity1 , with few side effects. The procedure is safe and applicable even to @entity1 with impaired respiratory function. @entity970 remains a milestone in palliative care in dysphagic @entity746 @entity1 .

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in XXXX : effect on survival.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity1576 :: ('MESH:D012131', 'Disease') :: ['respiratory impairment'] @entity1282 :: ('MESH:D003680', 'Disease') :: ['dysphagia'] @entity746 :: ('MESH:D000690', 'Disease') :: ['ALS', 'amyotrophic lateral sclerosis'] @entity204 :: ('MESH:D003643', 'Disease') :: ['death'] @entity970 :: ('CHEBI:46793', 'Chemical') :: ['PEG']
@entity746 :: (MESH:D000690,Disease) :: ['amyotrophic lateral sclerosis']
