The Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile as a Predictor of Clinical Outcomes of Admission for Pneumonia or Choking in Dysphagic Patients with Parkinson's Disease.

Dysphagia increases risk of pneumonia in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, no studies have investigated the association between objective measures of swallowing dysfunction and clinical outcomes. Therefore, we aimed to study the link between scores obtained on the modified barium swallow impairment scale profile (MBSImP) and hospital admissions for pneumonia and choking, in groups of patients with PD on different feeding modes. 157 patients who completed MBS studies were divided into three groups based on their feeding modes (oral, enteral, and rejected enteral feeding with oral feeding at own risk). Videos were analysed using the MBSImP. We evaluated the association of the oral, pharyngeal, and combined scores, with risk of admission for pneumonia and choking. Kaplan-Meier plots and log-rank tests were used to compare survival distributions among feeding groups. Cox regression models were generated to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals. Patients in the group that rejected enteral feeding scored the highest on the MBSImP, followed by enteral then oral feeding. Within the group that rejected enteral feeding, higher pharyngeal (HR = 3.73, p = 0.036) and combined scores (HR = 1.63, p = 0.034) significantly increased the risk of pneumonia and choking. In the enteral feeding group, higher oral subscores (HR = 2.16, p = 0.011) increased risk for the event, while higher pharyngeal (HR = 0.40, p = 0.004) subscores reduced risk for pneumonia and choking. This is the first study to analyse the association of MBSImP scores with clinical outcomes in PD patients. Patients who rejected enteral feeding had the highest risk for pneumonia and choking that could be predicted by their MBSImP scores. In the enteral feeding group, this risk was partially reversed. Compliance with feeding modes reduces the risk of pneumonia and choking.

Risk and prognostic factors for pneumonia and choking amongst Parkinson's disease patients with dysphagia.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the time to hospitalisation and baseline factors associated with pneumonia/choking in Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients. BACKGROUND: Although dysphagia and pneumonia are common problems in PD, scarce research has been performed. METHODS: A total of 194 PD patients who underwent a VFS evaluation were retrospectively selected. The mode of feeding and admissions for pneumonia/choking were analyzed. Baseline clinical and demographic variables were compared between feeding groups. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to estimate time to pneumonia/choking. Clinical variables significantly associated with pneumonia/choking free survival were identified using Cox regression. RESULTS: Hospitalisation for pneumonia/choking occurred in 89 out of 194 patients, with the highest admission rate in rejected enteral feeding group (66.7%), followed by enteral feeding (61.8%) and oral feeding (38.8%) groups. The estimates of median time to event were 11, 14, and 47 months for rejected enteral feeding, enteral and oral feeding groups respectively (log-rank test p < 0.001). The rejected enteral feeding group had the highest risk of pneumonia/choking (HR 4.61, 95%CI:2.33-9.08, p < 0.001), followed by enteral feeding group (HR 2.29, 95%CI:1.25-4.19, p = 0.007), when compared to oral feeding group after adjusting for possible confounders. A stepwise Cox regression showed that the rejected enteral feeding (HR 4.89, 95%CI:2.19-10.88, p < 0.001), enteral mode of feeding (HR 2.43, 95%CI:1.11-5.32, p = 0.026), and Charlson weighted index of co-morbidity (HR 1.27, 95%CI:1.03-1.58, p = 0.028) were independently associated with higher hazard of pneumonia/choking. CONCLUSIONS: Compliance to feeding recommendations is important to reduce the risk of hospitalisation for pneumonia/choking. The recommended mode of feeding and comorbidity index was significantly associated with pneumonia/choking risk.