Feasibility of swallowing interventions for tracheostomized individuals with severely disordered consciousness following traumatic brain injury.
OBJECTIVE
To report the ability of 12 tracheostomized acute rehabilitation hospital inpatients with severely disordered consciousness post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) to participate in an objective swallowing assessment.


METHODS
Post hoc analysis of data from a larger, prospective blinded comparison study.


METHODS
Subjects completed a modified barium swallow (MBS) study. Food/drink and tracheostomy tube management recommendations were made.


RESULTS
All subjects participated successfully during an MBS. Post-MBS, 10 subjects began receiving small amounts of food and/or drink. Prior to hospital discharge, all subjects received some food and/or drink and were extubated. Subjects were deemed representative of this patient population and, from a swallowing perspective, other tracheostomized patient populations at the same facility.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinicians should routinely consider tracheostomized, acute rehabilitation hospital inpatients with severely disordered consciousness post-TBI potential MBS candidates. Implications and continued research needs are discussed.
Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA. toneilpi@lynx.dac.neu.edu
Therese M
TM
O'Neil-Pirozzi
K Jack
KJ
Momose
Jennifer
J
Mello
Paige
P
Lepak
Margaret
M
McCabe
Jennifer J
JJ
Connors
Deborah J
DJ
Lisiecki
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003244:Consciousness Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology*; D004032:Diet; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D001239:Inhalation / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018458:Persistent Vegetative State / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011015:Pneumonia, Aspiration / Q000503:physiopathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014139:Tracheostomy / Q000534:rehabilitation*