ABSTRACT
Purpose
To characterize the changes related to swallowing and the main interventions and management of speech therapy in patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia in palliative care.
Methods
Observational prospective descriptive study conducted with 20 patients in palliative care at the University Hospital of the Federal University of Santa Catarina. Data were collected regarding the patients health history, prescribed diet, time of hospitalization and speech therapy evaluation and intervention. Clinical evaluation of swallowing was also performed on bedside, using the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS). A semi-structured questionnaire was applied with questions about patient’s satisfaction related to feeding.
Results
Most of the sample was composed of men with 75 years of age on average, all under palliative care due to different diseases and health problems. The average time of hospital stay was 15 days and most patients died during hospitalization. The most common food consistencies used for evaluation were liquid and honey. The most common sign of penetration and/or laringo-tracheal aspiration was the “wet” voice after swallowing. As to FOIS, half the sample was at level 5 and part at level 1. The most common interventions used were consistency modification, multiple swallowing maneuvers and swallowing with effort. From the survey, it was found that most patients were satisfied with the diet served by the hospital.
Conclusion
The most frequently encountered changes related to swallowing were clinical signs of penetration and/or laringo-tracheal aspiration. The main interventions were adjustments of the prescribed diets consistency and compensatory maneuvers. Most patients continued during hospitalization with oral feeding, respecting the desire of the patients and their family members.
Keywords:
Deglutition; Deglutition disorders; Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences; Palliative care; Quality of life
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