title: Program to diagnose probability of aspiration pneumonia in patients with ischemic stroke.
abstract: Introduction Stroke is a major cause of death and disability worldwide, with a strong economic and social impact. Approximately 40% of patients show motor, language, and swallowing disorders after stroke. Objective To evaluate the use of software to infer the probability of pneumonia in patients with ischemic stroke. Methods Prospective and cross-sectional study conducted in a university hospital from March 2010 to August 2012. After confirmation of ischemic stroke by computed axial tomography, a clinical and flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing was performed within 72 hours of onset of symptoms. All patients received speech therapy poststroke, and the data were subsequently analyzed by the software. The patients were given medical treatment and speech therapy for 3 months. Results The study examined 52 patients with a mean age of 62.05 ± 13.88 years, with 23 (44.2%) women. Of the 52 patients, only 3 (5.7%) had a probability of pneumonia between 80 and 100% as identified by the software. Of all patients, 32 (61.7%) had pneumonia probability between 0 and 19%, 5 (9.5%) between 20 and 49%, 3 (5.8%) between 50 and 79%, and 12 (23.0%) between 80 and 100%. Conclusion The computer program indicates the probability of patient having aspiration pneumonia after ischemic stroke.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Universidade Federal do Paraná (HC-UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gisele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Viviane
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zétola
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Universidade Federal do Paraná (HC-UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lange
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy, Universidade Federal do Paraná (HC-UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil.
authors.forename: Guilherme
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Universidade Federal do Paraná (HC-UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Cristina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Nunes
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Disorders, Universidade Tuiuti do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gisela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Universidade Federal do Paraná (HC-UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil.
authors.forename: Hellen Nataly
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Lagos-Guimarães
keywords: pneumonia; stroke; swallowing disorders