[Evaluation of a dessert in patients with deglutition changes, one more step in advanced basic feeding]

Abstract

Background: Decrease in the capacity to deglutition solids and liquids is a problem in many people, this problem decreases quality of life. The objective of our work is to evaluate the acceptance degree of a dessert (stewed fruit) (including in the normal diet of the Hospital) in a group of patients with dysphagia.

Methods: Forty seven patients were studied in Hospital Universitario del Río Hortega (Valladolid) in July of 2000. The main pathology of these patients was; (n = 12) 25.5% acute stroke, (n = 16) 34% aerodigestive tumors (Jarynx carcinoma (n = 5), cavum carcinoma (n = 9), oesophagus carcinoma (n = 2)) and 40.4% (n = 19) chronic neurologic disease (Alzheimer, vascular dementia, and parkinson). All patients took a oral triturated diet, a dessert with apple and pear (Resource fruits Instant). All patients took a portion of the dessert and after that a acceptance questionnaire was filled.

Results: Global acceptance of the product was 7.25 +/- 1.5, this punctuation was higher in the tumoral group 8 +/- 1.1 points, 6.86 +/- 1.4 in patients with acute stroke and 6.7 +/- 1.5 in patients with chronic neurologic disease (p < 0.05). Different organoleptic characteristics were analyzed, mean punctuation in texture was 1.79 +/- 0.6, color 2.2 +/- 0.5, smell 2.24 +/- 0.59 and taste 1.95 +/- 0.61, in a scale of 1 (very good) until 5 (very bad), a total of 57.9% patients responded very good (1) or good (2) in texture scale, 71.1% in color scale, 60.5% in smell scale and 63.2% in taste scale.

Conclusions: Acceptance of this product in patients with dysphagia has been elevated, showing useful in these patients with nutrition alterations.