Speech therapy profile of patients after ischemic stroke: prevalence of aphasia and level of oral intake

ABSTRACT

Purpose  To characterize the profile of the population of a Stroke Unit regarding the prevalence of aphasia and level of oral intake after the first ischemic stroke.

Methods  Quantitative, cross-sectional and retrospective study, collecting data from patients' electronic medical records, carried out in a Stroke Unit in a state hospital in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina State.

Results  The total population was 317 patients, of which 225 were included. The sample consisted predominantly of men and elderly individuals. Aphasia was present in 23.1% of patients at admission, with a reduction to 19.5% at discharge. Regarding the level of oral intake at admission and discharge from the Stroke Unit, it was observed that there was a significant reduction in the number of patients with Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) 1 and a significant increase in FOIS 5.

Conclusion  A significant improvement in the severity of aphasia and in oral intake during hospitalization was observed, especially in patients undergoing speech-language pathology intervention.

Keywords:
Ischemic stroke; Stroke; Aphasia; Dysphagia; Speech therapy