Effect of citric acid-induced cough on swallowing function and serum substance P levels in stroke patients with early tracheotomy / 中国实用护理杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the effect of citric acid-induced cough on swallowing function and serum substance P in stroke patients with early tracheotomy.Methods:Forty-nine post-stroke tracheotomy patients admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2018 to July 2019 were selected as study subjects. They were divided into intervention group ( n=24) and control group ( n=25) using the random digit table. The control group was subjected to routine nursing, while the intervention group was given citric acid to induce cough based on routine care. The intervention time was 1 week. The swallowing function and serum substance P levels were compared between the two groups before and after the intervention. Results:After the intervention, 45.8% (11/24) of the patients in the intervention group were assessed as having "strong" swallowing function, compared to 28.0% (7/25) in the control group, with a statistically significant difference in swallowing function between the two groups ( Z= -2.22, P<0.05), and the level of substance P in the intervention group was (283.40 ± 134.82) ng/L, significantly higher than that of the control group (203.59 ± 126.16) ng/L ( t=2.14, P<0.05). Conclusions:Citric acid-induced cough helped stroke patients with early tracheotomy to produce effective swallowing action and up-regulate substance P in serum to promote recovery of swallowing function.