Effects of Orogastric Tubes on the Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Study Findings in Infants / 대한연하장애학회지

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: An orogastric tube is used frequently in infants because infants are obligate nose breathers and nasogastric tubes can cause partial nasal obstruction. This study examined whether the presence of an orogastric tube could affect the swallowing parameters assessed by a videofluoroscopic swallowing study in infants with dysphagia caused by a variety of reasons. METHODS: Tests were conducted in 15 infants aged less than 150 days after birth who used an orogastric tube due to dysphagia. Two tests were conducted. The first was conducted with an orogastric tube inserted. Subsequently, the orogastric tube was removed with a 5-minute break before the second test. Skilled physiatrists then analyzed the recorded video. The number of sucks required for one swallow, abnormalities of the pharyngeal phase, and penetration-aspiration scales were evaluated. RESULTS: After removing the orogastric tube, the number of sucks required for one swallow reduced significantly (2.50±1.73 vs. 3.45±2.54, P=0.04). On the other hand, no statistical significance was observed in the results of the pharyngeal phase and penetration-aspiration scale (5.60±3.16 vs. 5.9±3.81, P=0.41) with and without the orogastric tube. CONCLUSION: These findings showed that the insertion or non-insertion of an orogastric tube might not affect the swallowing abnormalities in the pharyngeal phase and the risk of aspiration. In addition, an orogastric tube may have a negative effect on the swallowing function in the oral phase.