Table 2.
Final instrumental swallow study data
| All patients | Improved to PO diet | Persistent tube feeding | Univariate P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients (N) | 137 | 60 | 77 | |
| Severity of dysphagia (initial) | Median 4 (IQR 2–5) | Median 3 (IQR2-4) | Median 3 (IQR2-5) | 0.6339 |
| Severity of dysphagia (DOSS) on last available swallow study | Median 4 (IQR 3–5) | Median 5 (IQR4-5.5) | Median 4 (IQR3-5) | 0.0003 |
| Surgery to final swallow (months) | 7.2 (IQR 2.7–16.5) | 14.2 (IQR2–17.6) | 7.2 (IQR3.7–15) | 0.8165 |
| Tube feeds primary diet | 58 (42.3%) | 0 (0%) | 58 (75.3%) | |
| Tube feeds supplemental diet | 19 (14.1%) | 0 (0%) | 19 (24.7%) | |
| Thickened diet | 74 (54.8%) | 27 (45%) | 47 (61.0%) | |
| No PO diet | 5 (3.7%) | 0 (0%) | 5 (6.5%) |
Bold value denote statistical significance at the p < 0.05
DOSS Dysphagia outcome and severity score