J Korean Acad Rehabil Med.  2011 Feb;35(1):27-33.

The Effectiveness of Oro-Esophageal Tube Feeding with Dysphagia after Brainstem Stroke

• You DS
• Chun MH
• Kim HJ
• Ryu JS
• Song YJ
• Park EJ
• Choi KH

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether intermittent oro-esophageal (OE) tube feeding could improve swallowing function in brainstem stroke patients. METHOD: 23 patients suffering from dysphagia after acute brainstem stroke were enrolled in this study. All patients used nasogastric tubes for feeding. In a prospective, single blinded, randomized case control study conducted between January 2007 and April 2009, 11 patients were randomized to the study group who were fed with OE tube and received traditional swallowing treatment, and 12 patients were randomized to the control group who were fed with nasogastric tube and received traditional swallowing treatment. The effects of each treatment were assessed using functional dysphagia scale (FDS), penetration-aspiration scale (PAS), and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association National Outcome Measurement System (ASHA NOMS).
RESULTS
The pretreatment evaluation showed no significant difference between the two groups for all parameters. After treatment, FDS, ASHA NOMS improved in both groups (p<0.05). But, PAS score improved only in the study group (p<0.05). In comparison between two groups, FDS, PAS and ASHA NOMS scores showed significant improvement in study groups (p<0.05) than control groups.
CONCLUSION
OE tube can be a possible substitute for nasogastric tube in patients suffering from dysphagia after brainstem stroke. And it suggests that OE tube feeding may be used to facilitate recovery of swallowing function.

Keyword

Stroke; Brainstem; Dysphagia; Oro-Esophagal tube

MeSH Terms

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Brain Stem
Brain Stem Infarctions
Case-Control Studies
Deglutition
Deglutition Disorders
Enteral Nutrition
Humans
Prospective Studies
Stress, Psychological
Stroke