Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2014; 18 - a2180
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1388985

Efficacy of Speech Therapy in Postintubated Patients with Oropharyngeal Dysphagia

Giovana Sasso Turra 1, Ida Vanessa Doederlein Schwartz 1, Maristela Bridi 1, Sergio Saldanha Menna Barreto 1, Sheila Tamanini de Almeida 1
  • 1Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre
  • 2Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

Introduction: The intubation (orotracheal intubation) is used in the intensive care unit in critically ill patients. When extended is considered one of the main risk factors for oropharyngeal dysphagia (OPD).

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of speech treatment in patients with OPD postintubated and without neurological comorbidities.

Methodology: Study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre (09-617). In this study, 240 patients, 40 (16.6%) were evaluated with OPD; 32 patients were included. For inclusion in the study, patients had to have received OTI for a period longer than 48 hours, have aged ≥18 years, present clinical stability. Patients were randomized into two groups: treatment and control; the monitoring occurred during 10 days for all patients. The end points were time spent with nasoenteric tube (NET) and levels of Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS).

Results: The treatment group needed less time with NET (median 3 days) compared to the control group (median 10 days) (p < 0.001). In the control group, there were twice as many subjects with the use of NET by OPD the end of the time speech therapist. The treated group showed a significant increase in the levels of FOIS (between 4 and 7) compared to control (p = 0.005).

Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that speech treatment favors a more rapid progression of the NET feeding to oral feeding in postintubated patients, as well as favorable trend in functional oral intake.

Keywords: Speech therapy, deglutition disorders, intubation.