Brain Disorders & Therapy

Nutrition in acute stroke

Global Summit on Stroke

August 03-05, 2015 Birmingham, UK

Andreas H Leischker

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Brain Disord Ther

Abstract:

Nutrition is of upmost importance in patients with acute stroke. Delivery of nutrition as well as withholding nutrition may
seriously harm patients with acute stroke. In contrast to many other diseases, there were no clinical guidelines on nutrition
in acute stroke. In clinical practice, nursing staff, speech-language therapists, nutritionists and physicians are often unassertive
how to deliver nutritional support for patients with acute stroke. Key questions include the timing of enteral nutrition, screening
and assessment for dysphagia, indication and timing of placement of nasogastric tube versus PEG for stroke patients, swallowing
training during in patients with nasogastric tubes, oral nutritional supplements and texture modification/thickening of fluids. The
author (AL) was asked by the steering committees of the German Society for Neurology, the German Society for Nutritional
Medicine and the German Geriatric Society to develop evidence based guideline on nutrition for patients with acute stroke. To
our knowledge, this was the first clinical guideline on this topic. Implementation of the guideline in Germany changed clinical
practice significantly: For example it was clinical practice to place a PEG tube in patients with severe dysphagia early, after
implementation the placement of nasogastric tubes was state of the art. The guideline was updated starting 2010 and finally
published in English language 2013. Currently, a European ESPEN guideline on this topic is in progress.

Biography :

Andreas H Leischker has studied Medicine at University Mainz, Germany and Memorial University Newfoundland/Canada. After completing his Residency in
Internal Medicine in Frankfurt/Germany, he specialized in Geriatrics and Internal Medicine. He worked as Consultant in Internal Medicine in Germany and at King
Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh/Saudi Arabia. He is leader of the working group “Neurology” of the German Geriatric Society, Head of the
Department of Geriatrics, Alexianer Krefeld GmbH and Head of the geriatric rehabilitation Department of the Alexianer Tönisvorst GmbH, Germany.