ABSTRACT
Introduction
A heat and moisture exchange device could modify respiratory and vocal conditions in patients who received a total laryngectomy.
Purpose
To verify breathing and voice self-assessments before and after the use of a heat and moisture exchange device in patients who had received a total laryngectomy.
Methods
The sample included 15 subjects of the Speech Therapy department of a cancer hospital; subjects included 1 woman and 14 men aged 49 to 76 years who had undergone a total laryngectomy. Patients completed a self-assessment questionnaire about breathing and voice before and after two weeks of use of a heat and moisture exchange device.
Results
Thirteen individuals completed the study and reported improvement in cough, secretion accumulation, sleep, breathing, and esophageal voice after use of a heat and moisture exchange device.
Conclusion
Patients who had received a total laryngectomy perceived improvements in breathing and voice after two weeks of the use of a heat and moisture exchange device, as measured by self-assessment.
Laryngectomy; Respiration; Voice; Tracheostomy; Laryngeal neoplasms
