Changes in arterial oxygen saturation (SaO(2)) before, during, and after meals in stroke patients in a rehabilitation setting.

The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in arterial oxygen saturation (SaO(2)) of stroke patients during mealtime and whether duration of feeding (time to finish a meal) and mode of feeding (self-feed versus being fed) were associated with such changes. This study also investigated whether the consequence of aspiration pneumonia in the stroke patients was associated with SaO(2) drops during mealtime. The findings of this study showed that stroke patients but not the controls had a small but significant SaO(2) drop during meals (0.91%, IQR = 1.53%, p < 0.05 in being fed; 1.04%, IQR = 1.35%, p = 0.013, in self-feed). Duration of feeding and mode of feeding, however, did not have an association with mealtime SaO(2) changes. The SaO(2) drop during mealtime was not an early indicator of aspiration pneumonia.