2004 Volume 8 Issue 1 Pages 39-45
We have introduced the diet for dysphagia to the patients undergoing subtotal esophagectomy，and clarified the influence of introduction of diet for dysphagia on the nutritional status of patients．We have compared changes in the nutritional status of the patients at the point of admission and discharge，or before and after the introduction of diet for dysphagia．30 consecutive patients who received subtotal esophagectomy were divided to two groups and both groups included 15 patients．The first group without introduction of diet for dysphagia (10 males and 5 females with the average age of 65.7 ± 10.8) was regarded as the control group，and another group with introduction of diet for dysphagia (12 males and 3 females with the average age of 65.5 ± 8.6) was regarded as the diet for dysphagia group．Both groups were compared by the body weight，body mass index (BMI)，body weight reduction rate，serum albumin，hemoglobin，energy intake adequacy and occurrence of aspiration pneumonia．At the point of discharge， body weight and BMI reduced as compared with those at the time of admission significantly (p＜0.001) on both groups，and there was no significant difference of body weight reduction rate between the control group and the diet for dysphagia group (i.e., 10.4 ± 4.9％ and 7.8 ± 8.6％)．Also，the energy intake adequacy was no significant difference between the control group and the diet for dysphagia group，i．e., 80.9 ± 18.4％ in the control group and 88.2 ± 14.6％ in the diet for dysphagia group．Data of hemoglobin and serum albumin level in the control group at the point of discharge were significant lower (p＜0.001) than the point of admission，however there was no significant difference in the diet for dysphagia group．Also，occurrence of aspiration pneumonia was significantly lower (p＜0.05) in the diet for dysphagia group compared with the control group (i.e., 6.7％ and 40.0％)．From these results，at the point of discharge，the nutritional status of the diet for dysphagia group at the time of discharge should be better than that of the control group，and the introduction of diet for dysphagia showed decreased rate of the occurrence of the aspiration pneumonia．Therefore，it is suggested that the introduction of diet for dysphagia prevents the decline of nutritional status of patients after subtotal esophagectomy．
