Predictive Factors Associated with Oral Intake Ability in Gastrostomy Patients Under Long-Term Care

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Gastroenterology
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• Gastrostomy tube feeding is common in long-term care patients.
• Assessing oral intake and swallowing function in these patients is crucial for care.
• Current assessment methods may not fully capture the nuances of swallowing in gastrostomy patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify physical indicators of oral intake status and swallowing function.
• To evaluate the utility of these indicators in gastrostomy patients receiving long-term care.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 117 gastrostomy patients from 31 Japanese hospitals.
• Data collected via questionnaire on oral intake, demographics, medical history, and functional assessments.
• Included assessments like the Modified Water Swallow Test and Food Test.

Main Results:

• Significant differences were observed in modified Rankin Scale scores, sputum production, articulation/phonation, and voluntary saliva swallowing between orally fed and non-orally fed patients.
• Sputum production and voluntary saliva swallowing strongly correlated with oral intake status.
• Sputum production, articulation/phonation, and voluntary saliva swallowing were strongly associated with swallowing function test results.

Conclusions:

• Sputum production, articulation/phonation, and voluntary saliva swallowing serve as valuable indicators for estimating oral intake status.
• These physical signs can help assess swallowing function in gastrostomy patients under long-term care.
• This research aids in refining the assessment of nutritional and swallowing capabilities in a vulnerable patient group.