Removal of T-Fasteners Immediately After Percutaneous Gastrostomy Tube Placement: Experience in 488 Patients

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the safety of T-fastener removal immediately after percutaneous gastrostomy tube placement by assessing difference in complication rates between early and delayed gastropexy removal. MATERIALS AND METHODS. A retrospective review was performed of the electronic medical records of all patients who underwent percutaneous gastrostomy at our institution from January 2015 to June 2017. A total of 722 patients successfully underwent gastrostomy tube insertion during this period. Two hundred twenty-two patients were excluded from analysis on the basis of our exclusion criteria. Twelve patients were lost to follow-up. The remaining patients were divided into two groups: group 1 included 350 patients who had their T-fasteners released immediately after gastrostomy, and group 2 included 138 patients whose T-fasteners were left in place for 2 weeks. Electronic medical records were reviewed for postprocedure complications for up to 1 month. Complications were classified according to Society of Interventional Radiology classification. Statistical analysis was performed using a logistic regression model with calculation of odds ratios, power, p values, and 95% CIs. RESULTS. Seven (2.0%) major and 24 (6.8%) minor complications occurred in group 1. Two (1.4%) major and 11 (7.9%) minor complications occurred in group 2. There was no statistically significant difference in complication rates between immediate and delayed gastropexy removal. CONCLUSION. In our study, immediate removal of T-fasteners was not associated with a higher complication rate.