Abstract

Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, is a neurological condition that is most

often derived from a traumatic head, brain, or spinal cord injury or trauma.
Tumors in the brainstem can penetrate the cranial nerves, which control the
swallowing functions. When these nerves are penetrated and damaged,
swallowing difficulty occurs. As a result of this trauma, nutrition support is often
required to adequately nourish patients until they can learn to swallow again. The
evidenced-based literature regarding nutrition support methods for patients with
dysphagia suggests that enteral nutrition in the form of a percutaneous
endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube is the preferred method in terms of
intervention failure and survival rate. However, the placement of a nasogastric
(NG) tube yields similar results in terms of complications, risk of pneumonia, and
mortality. Patients with dysphagia will be evaluated by a speech therapist to
determine the extent of their swallowing difficulty, and subsequently receive
therapy to attempt to relearn the swallowing process. Research demonstrates
that intervening with enteral nutrition and speech therapy can provide the patient
with adequate nourishment, while allowing them to potentially regain the ability to
swallow and consume food orally. This cause study illustrates a patient suffering
from dysphagia while hospitalized, and how the nutrition care process was
utilized to improve the patients condition and ultimately prepare him to be
weaned from enteral nutrition.