Patient selection for pediatric gastrostomy tubes: Are we placing tubes that are not being used?

IntroductionIdentifying pediatric patients who may benefit from gastrostomy tube (GT) placement can be challenging. We hypothesized that many GTs would no longer be in use after 6 months.MethodsInpatient GT placements in patients < 18 years old at a tertiary children's hospital from 9/2014 to 2/2020 were included. The primary outcome was GT use <6 months (short-term). Secondary outcomes included age at placement, indication for GT, and operations for GT-related issues.ResultsFifteen percent (22/142) of GTs were used for <6 months post-operatively. The median duration of short-term GT use was 1.6 months (IQR 0.9–3.4 months). Short-term GTs were more likely to be placed in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) (18.2% vs. 4.2%, p = 0.03) and adolescents (≥12 years old, 22.7% vs. 4.0%, p = 0.005). Gastrocutaneous fistula closure was required in 33.3% of short-term patients who had their GTs removed (n = 6/18), with median total hospital charges of $29,989 per patient.ConclusionFifteen percent of pediatric GTs placed as inpatients were used for <6 months, more commonly among adolescents and in TBI patients. One-third of patients with short-term GTs required gastrocutaneous fistula closure. Adolescents and TBI patients may benefit from consideration of short-term nasogastric tube (NGT) feeds rather than surgical GT placement.Level of EvidenceIII