Persons with disorders of consciousness: Are oral feedings safe/effective?

Primary objective: Evaluate the safety and efficacy of providing oral feedings to persons early in coma recovery following a severe brain injury. Research design: Descriptive, retrospective study. Methods and procedures: Medical chart reviews of all patients admitted to a rehabilitation hospital fol...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brain injury 2006-12, Vol.20 (13-14), p.1329-1334
Main Authors: Brady, Susan L., Darragh, Meghan, Escobar, Nelson G., O'neil, Kara, Pape, Theresa L.-B., Rao, Noel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Brain Injuries - complications
Brain Injuries - physiopathology
Brain Injuries - rehabilitation
Case-Control Studies
Coma
Coma, Post-Head Injury - rehabilitation
Consciousness Disorders - etiology
Consciousness Disorders - physiopathology
Consciousness Disorders - rehabilitation
Deglutition
dysphagia
Enteral Nutrition - adverse effects
Enteral Nutrition - economics
Enteral Nutrition - methods
Female
Health Care Costs - statistics & numerical data
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
outcomes
rehabilitation
Retrospective Studies
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Summary:Primary objective: Evaluate the safety and efficacy of providing oral feedings to persons early in coma recovery following a severe brain injury. Research design: Descriptive, retrospective study. Methods and procedures: Medical chart reviews of all patients admitted to a rehabilitation hospital following severe brain injury. Main outcomes and results: Twenty-five patients met the inclusion criteria, 22 had a tracheostomy, and all were NPO. Subjects were divided into two cohorts. Group 1, n = 10, mean age 43.5 years, received oral feedings early in coma recovery. Group 2, n = 15, mean age 45.2 years, did not. Group 1, 30% returned to an oral diet of three meals daily at discharge from inpatient rehabilitation as compared to 40% in group 2 (χ2 = 0.260, p = 0.610). Average cost of care for group 1 = US$45 759 and group 2 = US$41 056 (p = 0.634). Conclusion: Safe therapeutic oral feedings, in accordance with findings from instrumental swallowing examinations, are possible for patients with disordered consciousness. The therapeutic oral feedings do not significantly increase the cost of care, but the effectiveness of oral feedings early in coma recovery requires further investigation.
ISSN:0269-9052
1362-301X
DOI:10.1080/02699050601111435