Peck 1990.

Methods	Observational retrospective cohort with control group. Follow‐up 6 months.
Participants	American nursing home patients. 52 intubated patients with dementia (Mini Mental Status Examination) MMS scores of zero) were compared with 52 non‐intubated patients of mixed diseases. In this group 71% were demented (scoring less than 23 on the MMS), and had resided in the nursing facility for a shorter time (mean 36 months compared to 66). In the intubated group the mean age was 87 years, and 45/52 were female.
Interventions	Long term enteral feeding (nasogastric, gastrostomy and jejunostomy tubes ‐ does not state number of patients per mode of feeding), 26/52 had been in place for more than a year (range 1 month to 6.4 years). Reasons for feeding were weight loss 23/52 (44%), refusal to eat 12/52 (23%), dysphagia 9/52 (17%) and stroke 8/52 (15%).
Outcomes	In the tube fed group at 6 months: 25/52 (48%) increased in weight, 58% had episodes of aspiration pneumonia, 21% decubitus ulcers, and 71% were restrained to prevent extubation.
Notes	Limitation: non intubated group were not comparable on disease.