Is hypoalbuminemia a poor predictor of survival after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in elderly patients with dementia?
Only 50% of demented patients with inadequate oral intake are likely to survive beyond 6 months after PEG placement. No improvement in performance status is likely to occur in any patient. These limited benefits should be realized before initiating PEG feeding. Since the survival in the age-matched control group with a higher mean serum albumin was better than in the patients who had PEG, there may be some benefit in performing PEG before the onset of severe hypoalbuminemia.
D2-40 may be a useful marker for distinguishing primary adrenal cortical neoplasms from both metastatic CCRCC and phaeochromocytoma.