Enteral nutrition management in stroke patients: a narrative review

We aimed to summarize the enteral nutrition (EN) management of stroke patients according to recent evidence.

Stroke patients have a high incidence of dysphagia, which is the main cause of malnutrition, and stroke with malnutrition leads to high recurrence and mortality. Insufficient food intake caused by dysphagia is the main cause of malnutrition in stroke patients, which is associated with poor prognosis, increased mortality, and deteriorated outcomes in patients with stroke. Dehydration is also worthy of attention.

Non-systematic searches of the PubMed database were conducted to retrieve relevant English-language articles, and the CNKI and Wanfang database were searched for relevant Chinese-language articles. Fifteen recent guidelines or expert consensuses on the clinical nutritional management of stroke patients were published between 2013 and 2021, of which eight are from China.

Before providing nutritional support, swallowing, hydration, and risk of malnutrition need to be screened by a dietitian or professional. Although the initiation time of nutritional support is different in each guideline, tube feeding is preferable for patients with dysphagia. The appropriate dosage, formula, and treatment of complications need to be further studied. Also, nutritional support for stroke patients at different stages needs to be further improved. The continuous improvement and details of stroke nutrition guidelines contribute to standardized clinical nutrition practices and benefit patients.