Effect of early versus delayed mobilization by physical therapists on oral intake in patients with sarcopenic dysphagia after pneumonia

Abstract

Background and purpose: Older pneumonia patients with sarcopenic dysphagia have difficulty with oral intake. Physical rehabilitation might be beneficial in the treatment of sarcopenic dysphagia. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that early mobilization by physical therapists enhances oral intake after pneumonia in sarcopenic dysphagia. Methods: This retrospective observational study used data on consecutive pneumonia patients with sarcopenic dysphagia aged over 65 years hospitalized in the acute care ward from May 2017 to October 2017. We compared characteristics and outcomes between the early mobilization group and the delayed mobilization group. The outcomes were total oral intake and functional oral intake scale score at discharge. Results: Applying the exclusion criteria, 125 patients were eligible. Patients with early mobilization were 33.6% of all pneumonia patients. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between both groups. Total oral intake rates at discharge were higher in the early mobilization group compared with the delayed mobilization group (75.6% vs 51.8%; p = 0.012). Functional oral intake scale scores were higher in the early mobilization group than the delayed mobilization group (p = 0.001). On multiple logistic regression analysis, early mobilization was significantly associated with total oral intake at discharge (odds ratio, 3.06; p = 0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that early mobilization was a significant factor affecting functional oral intake scale score at discharge (coefficient, 0.25; p = 0.01). Conclusion: Our cohort analysis demonstrated that early mobilization by a physical therapist is associated with improved total oral intake in patients with sarcopenic dysphagia after pneumonia.