Abstract TP340: GULP: Guiding Understanding of Diet Trajectories, Dysphagia, and Rehabilitation PLanning in Acute Stroke

Background: Diet trajectory, defined as the change in dysphagia-related diet from first swallowing evaluation to discharge (oral vs NPO), is significantly correlated with demographics, endovascular treatment (EVT), length of stay (LOS), and stroke severity. This study aimed to identify predictors of diet trajectory in acute stroke to guide early rehabilitation planning. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed prospectively collected data from an IRB-approved stroke registry at two academic Comprehensive Stroke Centers (10/24/2022–8/30/2024). We included patients with discharge diagnosis of AIS/ICH and pre-stroke mRS 0–2 who had swallow evaluation on admission. Diet trajectory groups were classified as: 1) NPO:NPO (N:N); 2) NPO:Oral (N:O); 3) Oral:NPO (O:N); or 4) Oral:Oral (O:O) based on Speech Language Pathology (SLP) assessment. Known significant correlates of overall diet trajectory were assessed. Continuous variables were assessed with t-Test; Cramer’s V measured strength of association. Results: We identified 542 patients who met criteria. There was a significant difference between diet trajectory groups for Hispanic ethnicity (p=0.01); a fib (p=