Nasogastric tube feeding (NGT) has been widely used in cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) patients with dysphagia but has a significant risk of complications. Intermittent Oro-esophageal Tube Feeding (IOE) is an established enteral nutrition approach that can be used with comprehensive rehabilitation therapy. This study aims to explore the clinical effect of IOE vs. NGT on CSVD Patients with Dysphagia. Compared to NGT, IOE, as an enteral nutrition support mode, in CSVD Patients with Dysphagia who received comprehensive rehabilitation therapy, showed advantages in improvement in dysphagia, nutritional status, ADL, QOL, pneumonia, and adverse events, which should be considered as the preferred approach.
Nasogastric tube feeding (NGT) has been widely used in cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) patients with dysphagia but has a significant risk of complications. Intermittent Oro-esophageal Tube Feeding (IOE) is an established enteral nutrition approach that can be used with comprehensive rehabilitation therapy. This study aims to explore the clinical effect of IOE vs. NGT on CSVD Patients with Dysphagia. This was a randomized controlled study with 60 CSVD Patients with Dysphagia who received comprehensive rehabilitation therapy. Patients enrolled were randomly divided into the observation group (with IOE, n=30) and the control group (with NGT, n=30). At admission and after treatment, Video Fluoroscopic Swallowing Study (VFSS) and Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS), body mass index (BMI), serum albumin (Alb), and hemoglobin (Hb), Modified Barthel Index (MBI) and World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) were recruited to assess and compare dysphagia, nutritional status, activities of daily living (ADL) and quality of life (QOL). The incidence of pneumonia was recorded and compared.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
60
The group was given enteral nutritional support with IOE according to the following procedure: Before each feeding, inside and outside of the tube was cleaned with water. During feeding, the patient should maintain a semi-reclining or sitting position with mouth opened, and the tube was inserted slowly and smoothly into the upper part of the esophagus by medical staffs while the appropriate depth of intubation was checked with the calibration markings on the tube wall. The distance from the incisors to the head part of the tube should be between 22-25 cm. However, the specific depth should be evaluated based on patients' feedback and adjusted accordingly. After insertion, the tail part of the tube should be put into a container full of water and the absence of continuous bubbles indicated a successful intubation. Then, the feeding was to be conducted three times per day with 50 ml per minute and 400-600ml for each feeding.
Within 4 hours after admission, the placement of the feeding tube was conducted by professional medical staffs and after intubation, the tube was secured to the patient\'s cheek with medical tape. The feeding was conducted once every 3-4 hours, with 200-300ml each time. The total feeding volume was determined based on daily requirements. The feeding content was formulated by the nutritionists based on the condition and relevant guidelines to reach the energy demand as 20-25 kcal/kg/day and protein supplementation of 1.2-2.0 g/kg/day for both two groups. For patients with limited tube feeding compliance, we made appropriate adjustments to ensure that they were not at risk of severe malnutrition as much as possible.
Huimin Hos.
Pengfu, Taiwan
Functional Oral Intake Scale
During Dysphagia-Functional Oral Intake Scale assessment, evaluators engage in communication with the patient, conduct observations, and make records to assess the patient's oral intake ability. The FOIS assessment form includes seven levels of scoring, ranging from level 1 to level 7, indicating a progressive improvement in the patient's oral intake ability. In general, the result below level 6 indicates unsafe for oral intake while level 6 and above indicates that eating via mouth can be safely conducted.
Time frame: day 1 and day 15
Body mass index
Weight and height will be combined to report Body mass index in kg/m\^2
Time frame: day 1 and day 15
Serum albumin
Serum albumin was recorded via blood routine test.(Alb, g/L)
Time frame: day 1 and day 15
Hemoglobin
Hemoglobin was recorded via blood routine test.(Hb, mg/L)
Time frame: day 1 and day 15
Pneumonia
The occurrence of pneumonia in patients was assessed before and after treatment. Specifically, first of all, the symptom assessment and physical examination were conducted to all patients, during which, the doctor would inquire symptoms related to pneumonia, such as cough, sputum production, difficulty breathing, chest pain, etc. and observe the patient's respiratory condition, including respiratory rate, breath sounds, and any abnormal signs in the chest.
Time frame: day 1 and day 15
Activities of daily living
The activities of daily living was assessed utilizing the Modified Barthel Index (MBI). Modified Barthel Index includes the following 10 subscales. For each subscale, choices encoded with the score 10, 8, 5, 2, 0 are set with the decreasing level of self-dependence, while the final total is positively correlated with Activities of daily living. Cronbach's α of questionnaire adopted is 0.916.
Time frame: day 1 and day 15
World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument Brief Version
The Quality of Life was assessed utilizing the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF). WHOQOL-BREF covers various aspects such as mobility, pain, emotions, personal relationships, living conditions, and access to health services, to evaluate Quality of Life. Each item is rated on a Likert scale, and the scores are transformed into a standardized score ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better Quality of Life.
Time frame: day 1 and day 15
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