Endoscopic gastrojejunal tube (GJT) installation in newborns and children was evaluated. The single-center retrospective analysis included all children with endoscopic GJT implantation between January 2010 and December 2019. GJT installation difficulties and failure, complication rates, device lifespan, effectiveness, and duration were evaluated. Endoscopic GJT placement was performed on 107 children, with a median age of 10 months (IQR, 5.0-23.0 months) and a median weight of 6.6 kg (IQR, 5.3-9.5 kg) utilizing the stomach stoma to insert the endoscope (n=36 of 107; 33.6%). The endoscopic placement was 99% successful. There were eight periprocedural problems, including one pneumoperitoneum that required insufflation, two acute pulmonary hypertension episodes that led to death in one instance, and five bouts of bronchospasm. Minor problems were common (79%) and largely mechanical, but significant complications were uncommon (5.6%): intussusception (n=4), intestinal perforation (n=1), and pneumoperitoneum (n=1). Around 10 patients were killed and 85 (87%) of the 97 patients who survived were weaned from jejunal feeding a median of 179 days (IQR, 69-295 days) after beginning. Next, 30 (35.2%) of them required fundoplication. At weaning, the weight for age z-score was considerably greater. GJT placement in children, including low-weight babies, is possible. Complications are common. However, they are usually mild.
Reference:www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(22)00070-1/fulltext
