1 - A Longitudinal Study of Dysphagia Recovery in Ischemic Stroke

Physiatrists are often consulted to facilitate hospital throughput and reduce length of stay in the acute hospital. Complex decision making about enteral access options is one area where PM&R can make a significant contribution. This talk summarizes recent research on dysphagia recovery in ischemic stroke patients at the University of Maryland. Patients were screened by the PM&R Consults service for admission to the inpatient rehabilitation unit with either nasogastric tube (NGT) or percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG). Factors that influence dysphagia prognosis are discussed including swallow study results, stroke lesion location, level of consciousness, and the degree of cranial nerve deficits. How these factors interact with the projected rehabilitation length of stay and anticipated discharge location is also described.