title: Randomized trial of two swallowing assessment approaches in patients with acquired brain injury: Facial-Oral Tract Therapy versus Fibreoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether patients assessed for initiation of oral intake only by Facial-Oral Tract Therapy had a greater risk of developing aspiration pneumonia during neurorehabilitation than patients assessed by Fibreoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Specialized, national neurorehabilitation centre.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adult patients with acquired brain injury. Six hundred and seventy-nine patients were assessed for eligibility and 138 were randomly allocated between June 2009 and April 2011.
  
  
  METHODS
  Assessment by Facial-Oral Tract Therapy (control group) or Fibreoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (intervention group).
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary outcome was the number of aspiration pneumonias that developed after initiation of oral intake.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and nineteen patients were included in the analysis of the primary outcome (62 controls/57 interventions). Sixteen patients were clinically diagnosed with pneumonia (4 controls/12 interventions). Nine patients had to be excluded: 6 patients got pneumonia before initiating oral intake; 3 patients with the clinical diagnosis of pneumonia did not show radiological signs. Seven patients were left for analysis, 4 of whom developed aspiration pneumonia within 10 days after initiating oral intake (1 control/3 interventions).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the presence of a structured clinical assessment with the Facial-Oral Tract Therapy approach, it is unnecessary to undertake an instrumental investigation of swallowing before initiation of oral intake.
authors.affiliation: 1The Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kjaersgaard
authors.forename: Lars Hedemann
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Bengt H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Sjölund
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology*; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D003718:Denmark; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000379:methods; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011015:Pneumonia, Aspiration / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods
keywords: Brain injury; aspiration pneumonia; assessment; dysphagia; neurorehabilitation