Energy Intake and Clinical Trajectories in End-Stage Aspiration Pneumonia: A Retrospective Cohort Study

This study investigated whether sufficient energy intake is associated with clinical trajectories in patients with end-stage aspiration pneumonia. A retrospective cohort study was conducted in patients with end-stage aspiration pneumonia in a long-term care ward (LTCW). Patients were classified into sufficient and poor energy intake groups, with sufficient intake defined as exceeding estimated energy needs. The primary outcome was swallowing recovery, defined as an improvement of ≥1 point on the Food Intake Level Scale (FILS). Secondary outcomes included survival discharge and 60-day survival in the LTCW. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess associations between energy intake and outcomes, adjusting for confounders. Among 240 patients (mean age 84.6 ± 8.3 years, 51.3% male), 33 received sufficient energy intake. After adjustment for confounders, sufficient energy intake was significantly associated with swallowing recovery (OR: 5.29, p = 0.006) and survival discharge (OR: 8.33, p < 0.001). However, no significant association was observed between sufficient energy intake and 60-day survival (OR: 1.32, p = 0.530). Overall, sufficient energy intake may promote swallowing recovery and facilitate survival discharge in patients with end-stage aspiration pneumonia. These findings highlight the potential role of nutrition management in optimizing care strategies for this vulnerable population.