Clinical swallowing assessment in the diagnosis of silent aspiration

Purpose: to verify the correlation between oropharyngeal dysphagia and quality of life in elderly people in the late phase after stroke. Methods: a retrospective cross-sectional study, whose data were obtained by analyzing a database composed of 30 elderly people in the late phase after stroke. All participants underwent clinical and instrumental evaluation of swallowing through the fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing. The quality of life related to swallowing was analyzed using the Quality of Life in Swallowing Disorders protocol. Data were submitted to descriptive statistical analysis and Spearman's correlation test (p ≤ 0.05). Results: the clinical evaluation showed that most individuals had mild oropharyngeal dysphagia, while the protocol applied in the instrumental evaluation showed swallowing with functional limitations. There was a positive correlation between burden, eating desire, eating duration, and mental health with the severity of oropharyngeal dysphagia, both by clinical and instrumental evaluation; and between the symptom’s frequency and the severity of dysphagia by clinical evaluation. Conclusion: there was a correlation between the severity of oropharyngeal dysphagia and the quality of life of elderly people in the late phase after stroke.

Oropharyngeal dysphagia and quality of life in elderly people in the late phase after stroke

Oliveira,

Cardenas

et al. 2023

Disfagia orofaríngea e qualidade de vida em idosos após a fase tardia do acidente vascular encefálico

Oliveira,

Cardenas

et al. 2023

RESUMO Objetivo: verificar a correlação entre disfagia orofaríngea e qualidade de vida em idosos após a fase tardia do Acidente Vascular Encefálico. Métodos: estudo transversal retrospectivo, cujos dados foram obtidos pela análise de um banco de dados, composto por 30 idosos acometidos por Acidente Vascular Encefálico, em fase tardia. Todos os participantes foram submetidos a avaliação clínica e instrumental da deglutição, por meio da videoendoscopia da deglutição. A qualidade de vida relacionada à deglutição foi analisada pelo protocolo Quality of Life in Swallowing Disorders. Os dados foram submetidos à análise estatística descritiva e ao teste de correlação de Spearman (p ≤ 0,05). Resultados: a avaliação clínica evidenciou que a maioria dos indivíduos apresentou disfagia orofaríngea leve, enquanto a escala aplicada na avaliação instrumental demonstrou deglutição com limitações funcionais. Houve correlação positiva entre fardo, desejo de se alimentar, duração da alimentação e estado mental com a gravidade da disfagia orofaríngea, tanto pela avaliação clínica quanto instrumental; e entre a frequência dos sintomas e a gravidade da disfagia pela avaliação clínica. Conclusão: houve correlação entre a gravidade da disfagia orofaríngea e a qualidade de vida de idosos após a fase tardia do Acidente Vascular Encefálico.

The use of photobiomodulation in swallowing difficulties in individuals who developed the severe form of COVID-19

Gehren,

Oliveira,

Bennemann

et al. 2024

This study aimed to verify the use of photobiomodulation in swallowing difficulties in individuals who had a severe form of COVID-19. This case report was based on a quasi-experimental, quantitative study, with primary data collected from a non-probabilistic sample of 13 adults (aged ≥ 19 to < 60 years) of both sexes, who had the severe form of COVID-19. Swallowing was assessed with the Dysphagia Risk Assessment Protocol, and the intervention used photobiomodulation. Descriptive statistics were used. It was found that all research participants’ risk for dysphagia in water and pudding swallowing tests improved from before to after the intervention. It can be concluded that photobiomodulation had positive results in speech-language-hearing practice to treat swallowing difficulties in adults who were affected by the severe form of COVID-19, intubated, tracheostomized, and needed an alternative feeding route, as the swallowing difficulties improved.