Early swallowing training after free flap surgery in oral cancer: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract Objective To explore the effect of early swallowing training on postoperative outcomes of patients who had undergone oral cancer surgery plus free flap reconstruction. Subjects and Methods In this prospective, randomized controlled trial, 121 patients who had undergone oral cancer surgery plus free flap reconstruction were randomly assigned to the control ( n = 59) or intervention group ( n = 62). The control group underwent routine nursing measures. The intervention group received swallowing training on the sixth postoperative day. On the 15th day and 1 month after surgery, the swallowing function (Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability‐Oral Cancer [MASA‐OC] score), weight loss rate, time of nasogastric tube removal, and quality of life were evaluated. Results Patients in the intervention group had higher MASA‐OC scores and better weight loss rates than those in the control group on the 15th day (MASA‐OC: p = 0.014, weight loss: p < 0.001) and 1 month (both p < 0.001) after surgery. The time of nasogastric tube removal and the quality of life was statistically significant between groups ( p < 0.001). Conclusion Early swallowing training improves the swallowing function, nutritional status, and quality of life and shortens the indwelling time of nasogastric tube of patients who have undergone oral cancer surgery plus free flap reconstruction.