Clinical research of enteral nutrition therapy in elderly stroke patients with dysphagia

Objective: To evaluate the nutrition index,tolerance,infectious complications and short-term prognosis in stroke patients with dysphagia before and after enteral nutrition(EN) therapy.Methods: 128 elderly patients of acute stroke accompanied with dysphagia were divided into the treatment group(n = 80) and control group(n = 48) according to the nutritional supporting methods. The treatment group was divided into enteral nutritional emulsion(TPF) group(n = 44) and nutrison fibre(NF) group(n = 36),while the control group was treated with general nasal feeding diet. Neurological scores of patients were tested by National Institute of Health Stroke Scale( NIH Stroke Scale,NIHSS) at admission,14 days after admission and discharge respectively,and the changes of nutritional indicators and the complications were observed simultaneously. Results: At day 14 and discharge,the NIHSS score and incidence of lung infection in treatment group were significantly lower than those of the control group(P 0. 05),the time of hospital stay was less,and the nutrition indicators in treatment group were also significantly improved than those of the control group. Meanwhile,because of the different sources of dietary fiber,the incidences of constipation and diarrhea in TPF and NF groups were significantly different(P 0.05). Conclusion: Early EN support can improve the acute neurological function,nutrition indicator,short-term prognosis,and reduce the incidence of infectious complication in the elderly stroke patients with dysphagia.