J Korean Dysphagia Soc.  2019 Jul;9(2):77-83. 10.34160/jkds.2019.9.2.004.

Effects of Orogastric Tubes on the Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Study Findings in Infants

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
  • 2Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea. dry815@hanmail.net
  • 3Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Daejeon St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Daejeon, Korea.

Abstract


OBJECTIVE
An orogastric tube is used frequently in infants because infants are obligate nose breathers and nasogastric tubes can cause partial nasal obstruction. This study examined whether the presence of an orogastric tube could affect the swallowing parameters assessed by a videofluoroscopic swallowing study in infants with dysphagia caused by a variety of reasons.
METHODS
Tests were conducted in 15 infants aged less than 150 days after birth who used an orogastric tube due to dysphagia. Two tests were conducted. The first was conducted with an orogastric tube inserted. Subsequently, the orogastric tube was removed with a 5-minute break before the second test. Skilled physiatrists then analyzed the recorded video. The number of sucks required for one swallow, abnormalities of the pharyngeal phase, and penetration-aspiration scales were evaluated.
RESULTS
After removing the orogastric tube, the number of sucks required for one swallow reduced significantly (2.50±1.73 vs. 3.45±2.54, P=0.04). On the other hand, no statistical significance was observed in the results of the pharyngeal phase and penetration-aspiration scale (5.60±3.16 vs. 5.9±3.81, P=0.41) with and without the orogastric tube.
CONCLUSION
These findings showed that the insertion or non-insertion of an orogastric tube might not affect the swallowing abnormalities in the pharyngeal phase and the risk of aspiration. In addition, an orogastric tube may have a negative effect on the swallowing function in the oral phase.

Keyword

Dysphagia; Infant; Orogastric tube; Videofluoroscopic swallowing study

MeSH Terms

Deglutition Disorders
Deglutition*
Hand
Humans
Infant*
Nasal Obstruction
Nose
Parturition
Weights and Measures
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