title: Survival period after tube feeding in bedridden older patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We prospectively studied survival periods after tube feeding.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 163 bedridden older patients suffering from dysphagia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A wide range of survival periods after tube feeding were observed within half a year without tube feeding after being bedridden. After this initial period, survival periods after tube feeding were limited to approximately half a year. Survival periods after tube feeding were positively proportional to the length of time patients were free from pneumonia after tube feeding. After tube feeding, patients died from pneumonia within half a year, and the frequency of pneumonia was 3.1 ± 2.7 times (mean ± SD) before death.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Survival periods after tube feeding for less than 1 year were primarily determined by being bedridden for more than half a year without tube feeding and once pneumonia occurred; patients who were tube fed did not survive for more than half a year.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric and Gerontology, Institute of Department, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kosaka
authors.forename: Takuma
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakagawa-Satoh
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohrui
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.forename: Hidetada
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sasaki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy*; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007103:Immobilization; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors