Buried Bumper Syndrome: Early or Late?

Abstract

Buried bumper syndrome (BBS) is a rare and serious complication of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube placement. In the literature, BBS is considered to be a late complication of PEG procedure, but it may occur in the early period after PEG tube placement. Early diagnosis and proper treatment are important. Different treatment modalities may be used to treat BBS. The aim of this study was to evaluate patients with BBS. During a time frame between January 2015 and February 2020, a hospital medical database was screened for PEG placement and BBS. Buried bumper syndrome was found in 36 patients. Demographic and clinical characteristics of these patients were retrospectively investigated. Those who developed BBS in the first month were evaluated as early BBS. Those who developed BBS after more than a month were evaluated as late BBS. The median BBS development time was 135.9 ± 208.1 days (9-834 days). In 18 (50%) patients, BBS developed within the first month. Serious complications such as abscess and peritonitis were observed in 8 (22.2%) patients on admission. Thirty-two (88.9%) of 36 patients were treated with external traction and four patients were treated with surgery. No complications were observed in patients who were treated with traction. Five patients died, of whom three of them died because of BBS complications, whereas two of them died from other causes unrelated to BBS. Buried bumper syndrome is a complication that can be seen in the early period after gastrostomy. External traction is a reliable method for treating these patients. Proper education of patients' relatives and caregivers is very important to prevent BBS and related complications.