Does metoclopramide reduce aspiration, pneumonia and hypoxia in acute stroke patients who are fed by nasogastric tubes

Completed

• Conditions: Cerebrovascular disease (acute strokes) and Pneumonia; Circulatory System

• Registration Number: ISRCTN18034911
• Lead Sponsor: Keele University (UK)

Brief Summary

Not available

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2014-06-03
• Last Update Posted: 13 January 2015

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 60

Inclusion Criteria

All adult patients admitted to the Acute Stroke Unit at University Hospital of North Staffordshire were considered for enrolment into the study if they required placement of a nasogastric tube for enteral feeding and if they could be recruited either before or within 48 hours of insertion of the nasogastric tube, no longer than a week had passed since the stroke.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Patients who had a nasogastric tube in place for more than two days
2. More than seven days following the stroke
3. Patients with signs and symptoms of a chest infection before recruitment
4. Patients with a known oesophageal stricture or a carcinoma which would interfere with the insertion of a nasogastric tube
5. Patients with terminal illnesses such as advanced malignancies
6. Patients on concurrent dopaminergic drugs
7. Patients with a history of neurodegenerative condition which should affect swallowing e.g. Parkinson?s disease and motor neurone disease
8. Patients who had presented as strokes, but later were diagnosed to have a non stroke pathology (e.g. brain tumour) were excluded retrospectively
9. Pregnancy
10. Patients recruited to another study
11. Patients where a decision not to treat actively had been made either due to poor chances of survival due to severity of the stroke or because of the patient?s prior expressed wishes
12. Known contraindications for the use of metoclopramide: Gastro-intestinal obstruction, perforation or haemorrhage; 3-4 days after gastro-intestinal surgery; phaeochromocytoma; breast-feeding

Study & Design

• Study Type: Interventional
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
The number of diagnosed episodes of pneumonia (any)<br><br>Patients were examined clinically daily for signs and symptoms of pneumonia. Also a daily review of patient?s case note was done. If there was a clinical suspicion of pneumonia haematological (White cell count -WBC) and biochemical (CRP) investigations and a chest radiograph was requested. Laboratory test results and chest radiographs were reviewed (on the same day of request) for the diagnosis of pneumonia.<br>The fulfilment all these criteria, namely, the presence of abnormal chest signs and symptoms on clinical examination, elevation of WBC and CRP levels and development of new infiltrates in chest radiograph were required to diagnose pneumonia. (British Thoracic Society recommendations for the diagnosis of pneumonia in a hospital)