S. Sartori et al., COST-ANALYSIS OF LONG-TERM FEEDING BY PERCUTANEOUS ENDOSCOPIC GASTROSTOMY IN CANCER-PATIENTS IN AN ITALIAN HEALTH DISTRICT, Supportive care in cancer, 4(1), 1996, pp. 21-26
Citations number
18
Categorie Soggetti
Oncology,Rehabilitation,"Medicine, General & Internal
The aim of this study was to evaluate prospectively the cost of long-t
erm feeding by percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG). Cost analysi
s was carried out in 34 head and neck cancer patients, followed from t
he time of PEG placement to the death or the end of the study. Three m
ain items were considered: (a) PEG place ment (on an inpatient basis),
subdivided into five subitems: the Freka FK-07 gastrostomy kit, mater
ials and anaesthetic drugs used, antibiotics and antisecretory drugs,
gastroscope amortization expenses and staff; (b) nutrition, considerin
g the costs of enteral-feeding products, nutrition container and flexi
ble tube connecting the container to the PEG; (c) patient care, dividi
ng the patients into three groups: outpatients, home-care patients and
outpatients shifting to home care during the follow-up. All patients
had one medical and two nursing visits/month, and, if necessary, immed
iate additional access to a physician or nurse. The mean daily cost pe
r patient of long-term feeding via PEG was obtained by adding up the m
ean daily costs per patient of the three items, and was compared with
that of feeding via nasogastric tube, calculated in 11 patients using
the same criteria. No procedure-related death nor periprocedural major
or minor complications were observed. The 60-day mortality was 3/34.
Seventeen patients were always seen on an outpatient basis and 8 were
followed by our home-care unit; 9 outpatients shifted to home care dur
ing the follow-up. The mean duration of PEG use was 180.5 days (range
47-639). Two wound infections, treated with antibiotics, occurred duri
ng the follow-up. The mean daily costs of placement, nutrition and pat
ient care were (Italian liras) L 2500, 24 510 and 1880 respectively (D
eutschemarks: DM 2.08, 20.42 and 1.56), for a total mean daily cost of
L 28,890 (DM 24.06), slightly higher than that of feeding via a nasog
astric tube (L 27,340; DM 22.78). On the basis of the improved quality
of life, as well as from the economic point of view, PEG can be consi
dered the procedure of choice for enteral feeding of cancer patients,
provided that a reasonably long survival can be expected.