Successful Continuation of Oral Intake in a Dysphagic and Tetraplegic Patient With Alternate Right and Left Complete Lateral Decubitus Positions in Rehabilitation.

Cervical spinal cord injury can result in dysphagia and tetraplegia. Dysphagia therapy can be required to avoid aspiration pneumonia during oral intake for persons with cervical spinal cord injury. Complete lateral decubitus position may be a specific position for safe swallowing. However, the literature on dysphagia therapy in complete lateral decubitus position for persons with tetraplegia and dysphagia is limited. We present the case of a 76-year-old man with dysphagia and tetraplegia secondary to cervical cord injury. As the patient wished for oral intake, swallowing training in an elevated position of the head at 60° was already initiated. Two days after admission, aspiration pneumonia occurred. As the spasticity increased continuously, the patient could not comfortably undertake swallowing training in an elevated head position of 60°. The flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) was performed for the patient. The patient did not swallow water or jelly safely in an elevated head position. However, the patient swallowed jelly safely in the right complete lateral decubitus position. Two months after the initiation of oral intake in the right complete lateral decubitus position, the second FEES revealed that the patient swallowed jelly and food in the form of paste safely in the left complete lateral decubitus position. To relieve the pain of the right shoulder induced by continuous right complete lateral decubitus position, the patient retained oral intake in the left or right complete lateral decubitus position alternately for six months without recurrent aspiration pneumonia. Right and left complete lateral decubitus positions when alternately performed in swallowing training can be useful and safe for a patient with dysphagia and tetraplegia secondary to cervical spinal cord injury.

Negative impact of behavior restriction amidst a clustered COVID-19 infection on immobility syndrome in older patients negative for COVID-19: report from a chronic care hospital in Japan.

Previous studies have reported on associations between immobility syndrome and the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about the aggravation of this syndrome in older patients negative for COVID-19 infection amidst behavior restriction due to a clustered COVID-19 infection. Patients hospitalized one month before a clustered COVID-19 infection occurred in our hospital were recruited. Rehabilitation therapy was suspended for 25 days during behavior restriction. The ability of daily living of the patients was evaluated with the functional independence measure and Barthel index. Chronological changes in the functional independence measure and Barthel index scores were evaluated monthly, beginning one month before the clustered COVID-19 infection to one month after re-initiation of rehabilitation therapy. Patients with minimum scores in the functional independence measure (18) and Barthel index (0) prior to the clustered COVID-19 infection were excluded. Functional independence measure scores of 73 older patients and the Barthel index scores of 48 patients were analyzed. The mean total functional independence measure score amidst the behavior restriction significantly changed from 36.3 to 35.1 (p = 0.019), while statistical significance was not detected in the mean motor subtotal (from 21.6 to 20.9 with p = 0.247) or cognitive subtotal functional independence measure scores (from 14.6 to 14.2 with p = 0.478). During the behavior restriction, the mean Barthel index scores declined from 25.8 to 23.2 without statistical significance (p = 0.059). Behavior restriction due to a clustered COVID-19 infection may aggravate immobility syndrome in older patients who are negative for COVID-19.

Clinical Items for Geriatric Patients with Post-Stroke at Discharge or Transfer after Rehabilitation Therapy in a Chronic-Phase Hospital: A Retrospective Pilot Study.

Clinical factors related to destination after rehabilitation therapy for geriatric patients with post-stroke in chronic-phase hospitals have not been elucidated. This study analyzed the clinical characteristics of geriatric patients with post-stroke at discharge/transfer after rehabilitation therapy in a chronic-phase hospital. Fifty-three patients (20 men, 33 women; mean age 81.36 ± 8.14 years) were recruited (the period analyzed: October 2013−March 2020). Clinical data were statistically analyzed among patients discharged to homes or facilities for older adults or transferred to another hospital. In addition, we analyzed the clinical items at discharge and transfer after rehabilitation therapy using a decision tree analysis. Twelve patients were discharged, eighteen were discharged to facilities for older adults, and twenty-three were transferred to another hospital. There were significant differences in the modified Rankin Scale, admission dates, functional independence measure (FIM) score, and Barthel Index score in the three groups (p < 0.05). Patients with motor subtotal functional independence scores of ≥14 (chronologically improved ≥5) after rehabilitation therapy for <291 days were more likely to be discharged home. Patients in a chronic-phase hospital who improved within a limited period were discharged to their homes, whereas those who were bedridden tended to be transferred to another hospital.

Indicators Predicting Inpatient Mortality in Post-Stroke Patients Admitted to a Chronic Care Hospital: A Retrospective Pilot Study.

Evidence concerning the mortality of post-stroke patients admitted to a chronic-phase hospital seems to be lacking. This pilot study aimed to identify mortality-related clinical variables in the admission of post-stroke patients from a retrospective perspective. A group of 38 non-survival stroke patients and another group of 46 survival stroke patients in a chronic-phase ward of the single center were recruited. Clinical variables including age, sex, stroke type, and Barthel index (BI) score were collected. The difference in the age and BI scores on admission were statistically significant between the two groups (p < 0.01). Polytomous logistic regression analysis revealed that age (odds ratio = 1.09, p = 0.03, and 95% confidence interval: 1.01−1.07), male sex (odds ratio = 5.04, p = 0.01, and 95% confidence interval: 1.39−18.27), and BI scores on admission (odds ratio = 0.90, p = 0.01, and 95% confidence interval: 0.83−0.97) could be prognostic variables. The percentage of correct classification was 83.3%. Age, male sex, and BI scores on admission may be prognostic indicators. The result of this study could lay the groundwork for palliative care for such a clinical population.

Factors related to suspension of day-care services: an effective program for older users with declined ambulation to reduce care burden.

PURPOSE: Day-care services contribute to maintaining the daily living ability of older people cared for at home. This study aimed to detect factors that could impede the continuation of day-care services. METHODS: We collected clinical data of 132 older users (age = 82.8 ± 7.5 years; male:female = 49:83) utilizing our day-care center from April 2019 to March 2020. We evaluated age, sex, underlying disease, medication, family background, care level, food texture, physical ability, reasons for frequenting day-care centers, and combined medical/nursing care plans. Participants were divided into two groups: continuation (n = 51) and suspension (n = 81). The collected items were evaluated statistically using the chi-square test, Mann-Whitney test, and unpaired t test. Multivariate logistic analysis (forward-backward stepwise selection method) was added to the statistically significant items. Statistical significance was defined as p < 0.05. RESULTS: The comparison test detected statistical significance in Parkinson disease/Parkinsonism, pain complaints, day-service use, short-stay service use, day-care center use to reduce care burden, physical ability including ambulation, and availability of the major caregiver (p < 0.05). Day-care service use to reduce care burden (odds ratio 5.646, p < 0.05), use of short-stay and day-care services (odds ratio 4.798, p < 0.05), and low independent ambulation (odds ratio 0.585, p < 0.05) were the likely factors for suspended use (percentage of correct classification = 68.5%). CONCLUSION: An unreplaceable and effective program for day-service and short-stay services to improve the activities of daily living of older users and reduce care burden is required in day-care centers.

Subjective and objective evaluation of swallowing in lateral decubitus positions examined in healthy volunteers.

BACKGROUND: Dysphagia can result from shock, trauma, aging, head and neck neoplasms, and some cerebrovascular diseases or neuromotor degenerative disorders. Swallowing rehabilitation therapy combined with postural control of the neck, head, and body can be effective for patients with dysphagia. Though the lateral decubitus posture has been a favorable option for swallowing rehabilitation therapy, available clinical data pertaining to it are scarce. METHODS: Twenty-seven healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. The subjects underwent a repetitive saliva swallowing test, food swallowing test, and water swallowing test. The trials were performed in four different positions: upright sitting position, lateral decubitus position with the head raised to 60°, lateral decubitus position with the head raised to 30°, and complete lateral decubitus position. After each trial, the subjects were asked to declare the swallowing difficulty utilizing a visual analogue scale. Swallowing time and swallowing sound level were recorded simultaneously, as objective evaluation in each trial. We analyzed the visual analogue scale scores, swallowing time, and swallowing sound levels for all the four positions. RESULTS: The results of the visual analogue scale of the water swallowing test in the sitting position were significantly lower than those of the complete lateral decubitus position (p < 0.01). However, statistical significance was not detected in swallowing time or the swallowing sound level among the four different positions. Although subjective discomfort in swallowing was identified, difficulty of swallowing was not objectively evident in the trials, irrespective of the position. CONCLUSIONS: A complete lateral decubitus position can be an effective and safe position in swallowing.

Declined Activities of Daily Living as Immobility Syndrome in an Uninfected Elderly Patient Amidst a Cluster of COVID-19 Infections.

Although coronavirus disease 2019 can cause immobility syndrome in the patients positive for coronavirus disease 2019 and the survivors of coronavirus disease 2019, it is not described in elderly patients who are not positive for coronavirus disease 2019. A 90-year-old female with motor weakness of the lower extremities was admitted in the chronic care hospital. She had rehabilitation therapy for independent ambulation and toilet activities. Though she complained of irregular pulse related to atrial fibrillation during rehabilitation therapy, the symptom disappeared within a few minutes. Her ambulation and toilet activities became better with rehabilitation therapy. However, three weeks after initiating rehabilitation therapy, a cluster of coronavirus disease 2019 infections occurred. The patient was not infected, but rehabilitation therapy was discontinued for 25 days. The patient exhibited ambulation difficulty with shortness of breath and persistent irregular pulse, especially when rehabilitation therapy was reinitiated. These symptoms did not appear while the patient was outside of rehabilitation therapy. At the time of writing, she started to recover her declined ambulation with rehabilitation therapy, but was still dependent in toileting. Immobility syndrome in elderly patients negative for coronavirus disease 2019 can be aggravated following the occurrence of a low-level cluster of coronavirus disease 2019 infections. Medical workers should, therefore, always consider this hidden risk and should plan an adequate program in the early period of rehabilitation therapy for the elderly patients.