Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) site infections: a clinical and microbiological study from university teaching hospital, India.

BACKGROUND:Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is used to provide enteral access in patients who are unable to swallow. Infection of the stoma is an important complication and there is little data from India on this problem, which can be used to inform infection prevention and prophylactic strategies. AIM:The objective was to assess the prevalence and the role of contributory factors in PEG site infections. METHODS:A total of 173 patients underwent PEG insertion from January 2011 to May 2012. Clinical and microbiological data were collected for culture-positive cases. Insertion was performed using a standard sterile pull-through technique. Infections were defined as two of: peristomal erythema, induration, and purulent discharge. RESULTS:A total of 54 PEG infections occurred in 43 patients (28.85%). Seventy-seven organisms were isolated. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most common (n=29) followed by coliforms (n=21) and meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (n=6). Thirty-one (72%) received amoxicillin-clavulanic acid as prophylaxis and 12 (28%) were receiving concomitant antibiotics for their underlying conditions. The occurrence of PEG site infections was statistically independent of the administered prophylactic antibiotics (p=0.3). CONCLUSIONS:This study has demonstrated the importance of PEG sites as a cause of healthcare associated infections. Educating patients on wound care practices would play a significant role in prevention of PEG site infections.