Predictive factors for oral intake after aspiration pneumonia in older adults

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to clarify the predictive factors for achieving oral intake after aspiration pneumonia in elderly patients. Methods: This retrospective observational study used data from the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination inpatient database. We identified patients who were admitted to acute-care hospitals with aspiration pneumonia. The outcome was time to achieve total oral intake. We carried out Cox regression analysis to identify predictors for the early initiation of total oral intake. Results: Of 66 611 elderly patients with aspiration pneumonia, 59% achieved total oral intake within 30 days. Cox regression analysis showed that early initiation of total oral intake was associated with female sex and higher Barthel Index. Delayed initiation of total oral intake was associated with underweight, higher scores of pneumonia severity and comorbidities. Conclusion: We clarified prognostic factors for total oral intake in elderly aspiration pneumonia patients. Our findings will be helpful in nutritional care planning for elderly aspiration pneumonia patients.