title: Speech-language pathology assessment for tracheal decannulation in patients suffering from traumatic brain injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the effect of Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) management on the tracheal decannulation process in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective controlled clinical study. Two groups of patients with TBI confirmed by computed axial tomography were included in the study group (G1) and control group (G2) composed of 30 individuals each, with 25 (83.3%) male and 5 (16.7%) female individuals in both groups. Patients' age ranged from 18 to 53 years old - mean age was 32 years. A SPL assessment tool was developed for tracheostomized patients with TBI, composed of investigation of awareness level, cognition and swallowing (annex 1) and conduct. G1 underwent the assessment proposed by the study, and G2 was assessed by retrospective analysis of medical records without SLP evaluation. In this population, the variables time with tracheostomy and total days of hospitalization were the measurement markers for the effect of SLP conduct with this instrument.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was verified that G1 presented mean reduction of 4.2 days with tracheostomy and of 4.4 days in length of hospital stay when compared to G2. However, these figures are not statistically significant (p = 0.2031).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The group that was evaluated and received the SLP conduct proposed in the instrument presented a reduction in the time of permanence with tracheostomy, as well as in hospital stay.
authors.affiliation: Hospital do Idoso Zilda Arns - Curitiba (PR), Brasil.
authors.forename: Isabel de Lima
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Zanata
authors.affiliation: Universidade Tuiuti do Paraná - UTP - Curitiba (PR), Brasil.
authors.forename: Rosane Sampaio
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Universidade Tuiuti do Paraná - UTP - Curitiba (PR), Brasil.
authors.forename: Jair Mendes
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.affiliation: Hospital Infantil Waldemar Monastier - Curitiba (PR), Brasil.
authors.forename: Gisela Carmona
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.affiliation: Hospital do Trabalhador do Paraná - HT - Curitiba (PR), Brasil.
authors.forename: Daiane Aparecida Dos
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Santos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000070642:Brain Injuries, Traumatic / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013066:Speech-Language Pathology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014139:Tracheostomy / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult