Predictors and associating factors of nasogastric tube removal: Clinical and brain imaging data analysis in post-stroke dysphagia

Background/Purpose: Post-stroke dysphagia is a frequent complication. Although most patients with dysphagia recover after the acute phase, some patients require long-term enteral feeding, either through a nasogastric (NG) or gastrostomy tube; the effectiveness of using either tube is still under debate. This study elucidated the natural course of NG tube installation and removal and examined the predictors and associating factors based on clinical and brain imaging data. Methods: This retrospective cohort study with medical record reviews recruited patients received NG tube installation after their acute stroke events between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2016. Inclusion criteria were subjects above 20 years of age and with a diagnosis of a newly onset stroke except SAH whose comprehensive clinical and imaging data were available. Survival analysis was performed for the right-censored data because some patients were lost to follow-up after discharge or transferal. Results: In total we recruited 135 patients. Among these patients, the timing of their NG tube removal reached a plateau at 12–16 weeks after stroke. The modified Rankin score on discharge, representing the overall subacute disease status, was the most significant factor. Other clinical variables could be divided into 2 categories: baseline patient characteristics and stroke event severity. Moreover, semi-quantitative brain imaging scores corresponding to the aforementioned 3 categories were correlated significantly. Conclusion: In Taiwan, the NG tube removal rate reached a plateau at around 12–16 weeks after stroke onset. Variables related to long-term NG tube use were divided into baseline characteristics of patient and stroke event severity. ? 2020