[A patient with dysphagia treated successfully and discharged without nutritional support]

One of the main targets of medical care provided in our ward, which specializes in the cooperative practice of hospital- and home-doctors, is to maintain the quality of patients' lives after they are discharged from our hospital through home medical care by home-doctors. Intravenous hyperalimentation and tube-feeding at home are suitable solutions for some patients with dysphagia after cerebral infarction. However, the difficulties faced in their management are the burden on the families, which tends to be an obstacle for at-home-practice. We describe herein a case of severe dysphagia treated successfully through our rehabilitation program and discharged without nutritional supports. An 82-year-old man was admitted to our hospital suffering from pyrexia and dysbasia. The man, who lives with his wife and his son's family, was diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia and multiple cerebral infarctions. The test for swallowing reflex revealed an impaired first phase reflex and intravenous hyperalimentation was performed for his nutritional support. He was still suffering from dysphagia but had the desire to eat orally after his dysbasia and aspiration pneumonia were cured. A rehabilitation program was scheduled with the aims of 1) recovery of ingestion and 2) sufficient expectoration, with an ongoing teaching program for the management of intravenous hyperalimentation. After one month of rehabilitation (ice-massaging, muscle rehabilitation of the tongue and neck and expectoration training in a prone position and after gorging), his ability to swallow was gradually recovered. With the frequent confirmation of absence of aspiration, special forms of diets were served and upgraded from jelly, paste-like-food to soft-cooked steamed rice. The patient is now at home without any nutritional support. Nutritional management without intravenous hyperalimentation or tube-feeding is important or even essential for some families providing home-care for patients. The problem of aging requires us to reduce the burden that families (who may be also getting older) should carry. We try to support patients and families for better home-care through cooperation with society and home-doctors.