Stroke & Dysphagia

 

Welcome to the healthcare professional pages of Stroke & Dysphagia. Here you’ll get more in-depth information on this health area, including feature articles, links to clinical guidelines as well as detailed product information.

About medical nutrition

Nutritional intervention

Stroke is a complex disease, with many factors affecting a patient’s health outcome, including both pre-existing risk factors as well as health challenges developed as a direct result of their stroke and subsequent hospitalization. Some of these challenges, including dysphagia, malnutrition, sarcopenia and pressure injury may require nutritional intervention to meet specific nutritional needs and avoid negatively impacting health outcomes3-5. In fact, the right nutrition tailored to the individual patient can support primary treatment and can deliver significant benefits for their later rehabilitation6.

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Stroke & Dysphagia portfolio

There are nutritional challenges adults may experience which can be managed with medical nutrition (for use under healthcare professional supervision only). The Nutricia products shown from this point onwards are foods for special medical purposes and intended for the nutritional management of disease-related malnutrition and related medical conditions.

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Stroke & Dysphagia products

Nutricia Stroke & Dysphagia products should always be used under medical supervision.

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Nutritional support along the care journey

Most stroke patients will likely experience some kind of nutritional issue along their journey from acute treatment through to rehabilitation. Nutricia offers a complete range of products to support these patients.

Hyper-acute
(0 - 24hr)
Acute
(1 - 7 days)
Early Subacute
(7 days - 3 months)
Late Subacute
(3 - 6 months)
Chronic
(>6 months)
Dysphagia

Up to 78%2

Malnutrition

Up to 62%7 and 51% of patients with dysphagia are at risk8

Muscle Loss in Sarcopenia

Up to 42%9

Pressure Injury

Up to 21%10

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Practical guidance for diagnosis and nutritional management of dysphagia in acute stroke.

A range of nutritional issues can arise as a direct result of stroke and a patient’s subsequent hospitalization. The right nutritional intervention, given at the right time, can support primary treatment and may improve recovery outcomes6. Nutricia offers a range of specialized nutrition products that can help manage specific nutritional needs and avoid negatively impacting health outcomes1-3

Please find here practical guidance for the diagnosis and nutritional management of dysphagia in acute stroke.

The guidance has been adapted from: Dziewas, et al. European Stroke Organisation and European Society for Swallowing Disorders guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of post-stroke dysphagia. European Stroke Journal 2021; 6: LXXXIX-CXV.

Guidance

Malnutrition in stroke

Malnutrition is highly prevalent in stroke condition and it is, most of the time, the cause for worsened outcomes in stroke patients.

For more information on how stroke patients’ outcomes can be improved through medical nutrition, don’t miss this article.

Find out more
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Clinical guidelines

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ESPEN guideline clinical nutrition in neurology

Patients with neurological diseases such as stroke frequently have malnutrition and/or swallowing problems. ESPEN has published evidence- and consensus-based guidelines for the nutritional management of these patients.


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ESSD-ESO guidelines

Dysphagia may affect up to 78% of stroke cases and can increase the risk of health complications. The ESSD-ESO guidelines have been written to support clinicians in the management of these patients.

Patient story

Radoslaw’s story

Radoslaw, a husband and father of two, was just 33 when he suffered a stroke that would change his life forever. After a long hospital stay, he was able to return home to his family. With the support of enteral medical nutrition, he started to regain weight and with it, some of his physical strength. His next goal is to take his first steps with the aim of one day walking again. Find out more about Radoslaw’s story here.

Feature articles

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New review of nutritional issues in stroke care

Recent findings from a systematic review and meta-analysis conclude that impaired nutritional condition and malnutrition are highly prevalent in all stages of stroke care, making it more important than ever to monitor and manage patients’ nutritional status throughout their care journey. Visit Frontiers website to read the systematic review.

To Systematic Review
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The Chefs Council: bringing haute cuisine to dysphagia cooking

Texture-modified diets may be safer to eat, but can be unappetizing or inconvenient, as foods need to be blended to a specific consistency before being consumed. This is where the Chefs Council steps in. They are a team of world-class chefs and health experts, as well as patients and carers, who are working hard to improve the quality of life in people with dysphagia. Together, they created the Dysphagia Act, which is founded on three key principles: that dysphagia foods and drinks should not only be safe and nutritious, but pleasurable too. By creating recipes the Chefs Council would like to inspire and inform chefs and carers involved in dysphagia meals

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Research into stroke and dysphagia

Our research and development in this field is aimed towards finding ever-more innovative nutritional solutions that aid recovery and improve the quality of life of stroke patients.

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News

Dysphagia Screening Guidance Tool to Support HCPs in the Acute Stroke Setting

Stroke-related Dysphagia: Clinical Challenges & Support Solutions

World Stroke Day 2020: The importance of medical nutrition in stroke recovery and rehabilitation