Nutritional profile and mortality in patients undergoing percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy.

Background: malnutrition is a common problem in hospitalized patients, being associated with increased morbidity, mortality and costs. Multiple factors contribute to a deficient nutritional status, making malnutrition the cause or consequence of severe diseases. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is a minimally invasive procedure indicated for long-term administration of enteral nutrition in patients with limited ability for oral intake who have an intact, functional gastrointestinal tract.