Impact of the systematic use of the volume-viscosity swallow test in patients with acute ischaemic stroke: a retrospective study.
BACKGROUND
Dysphagia is common after stroke. Patients with dysphagia have a higher risk of stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) and poor outcomes. Early detection of dysphagia is necessary to identify and manage patients at high risk of aspiration. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of the systematic administration of the volume-viscosity swallow test (V-VST) in patients with acute ischaemic stroke.


METHODS
This was a retrospective observational study that enrolled patients with acute ischaemic stroke in two consecutive time periods: pre-V-VST, when the 30-mL water-swallowing test (WST) was systematically administered, and V-VST, when all patients underwent the WST and the V-VST test was systematically administered if the patient failed the WST.


RESULTS
Two hundred and 42 patients were enrolled. The mean age of the participants was 68.8 ± 10.88 years, 61.2% were male, and the median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 3 (IQR, 1-6). A total of 147 patients were enrolled during the pre-V-VST period and 95 were enrolled during the V-VST period. There was a significant difference in the occurrence of SAP (21.8% vs. 10.5%, p = 0.024) and the rate of nasogastric tube feeding (25.9% vs. 14.7%, p = 0.040) between the two groups, and no differences were found in the length of hospital stay (p = 0.277) or the total cost of hospitalization (p = 0.846).


CONCLUSIONS
The V-VST was a better clinical screening tool, and it can also provide detailed suggestions regarding dietary modifications to prevent aspiration and SAP.
['Liu|Zhu-Yun|ZY|https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8379-6344', 'Zhang|Xiao-Pei|XP|https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4350-0972', 'Mo|Miao-Miao|MM|', 'Ye|Ri-Chun|RC|', 'Hu|Cai-Xia|CX|', 'Jiang|Min-Qing|MQ|', 'Lin|Man-Qiu|MQ|']
D000368:Aged D000369:Aged, 80 and over D002545:Brain Ischemia D003679:Deglutition D003680:Deglutition Disorders D042241:Early Diagnosis D005260:Female D006760:Hospitalization D006801:Humans D007441:Intubation, Gastrointestinal D008297:Male D008403:Mass Screening D008875:Middle Aged D011014:Pneumonia D012189:Retrospective Studies D020521:Stroke D014783:Viscosity
Ischaemic stroke Dysphagia Swallow screening