Abstract 2903: Nutritional Access of Dysphagic Patients 3 Months after Onset of Acute Stroke -From Database of 5,000 Patients in a Single Stroke Center-
Background and purpose: Prediction of swallowing function in dysphagic patients with acute stroke is indispensable for discussing percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) placement. We performed a retrospective study using database of a large number of acute ischemic stroke patients to clarify predictors for acquisition of oral intake in chronic phase. Methods: A total 4,972 consecutive acute stroke patients were admitted to our stroke center during 8.5 years; a questionnaire was sent to all the survivors after 3 months of onset. We investigated nutritional access after 3 months of onset in 588 patients who could not eat orally 10 days after admission, and analyzed predictive factors for their acquisition of oral intake. Continuous variables were dichotomized to identify the most sensitive predictors; the cutoff values were investigated by receiver operating characteristics curve analysis. Results: Out of 588 dysphagic patients, 75 died during the 3 months, and 143 (28%) of the residual 513 achieved oral intake after 3 months. In logistic-regression models, age ≤80 years, absence of hyperlipidemia, absence of atrial fibrillation, modified Rankin Scale score 0 before onset, and low National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score independently predicted oral intake 3 months after onset. From two different model analyses, NIHSS score ≤17 on day 10 (OR 3.63, 95% CI 2.37-5.56) was found to be a stronger predictor for oral intake than NIHSS score ≤17 on admission (OR 2.34, 95% CI 1.52-3.59). At 3 months, 17/143 (12%) patients with oral intake were living at home, while only 1/370 (0.3%) patients without oral intake were. Conclusion: A quarter of dysphagic patients with acute stroke obtained oral intake 3 months after onset. Clinicians should be cautious about PEG placement for stroke patients with severe dysphagia who were independent prior to the stroke, aged ≤80 years, and show NIHSS score ≤17 on day 10, because their swallowing dysfunction may improve in a few months.