See bug #33809 http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=33809
Whether this really is a bug or a feature is not clear.
However, it is probably best to always put your column names in extra quotes.
$res = pg_query(...);
$colname = pg_field_name($res, $j);
pg_fetch_result($res, $i, "\"$colname\"");