Biomaterial Database

Swallowing disorders in patients with prolonged orotracheal intubation or tracheostomy tubes. 1990

M A DeVita, and L Spierer-Rundback

Department of Anesthesia/Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, PA.

Eleven patients were tested for swallowing dysfunction after prolonged orotracheal intubation. Ten had a tracheostomy tube. Mean duration of orotracheal intubation was 19.9 days, mean age 65 yr, and no patient had a concomitant neurologic deficit. All patients had a modified barium swallow with videofluoroscopy. All patients had at least one defect of 11 defects characterized. There was a mean of six defects/patient. The most common defects were delayed triggering of the swallow response (present in all patients) and pharyngeal pooling of contrast material (n = 9). Follow-up videofluoroscopy was performed in five patients (all had improved) with mean defects decreasing from 6.1 to 2.8/patient. With one exception, no patient had any defect that was worse than mild in severity. We concluded that prolonged orotracheal intubation with or without tracheostomy may cause prolonged and severe swallowing dysfunction. The deficits improve with time. The presence of a gag reflex does not confer protection against aspiration of pharyngeal contrast.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007442	Intubation, Intratracheal	A procedure involving placement of a tube into the trachea through the mouth or nose in order to provide a patient with oxygen and anesthesia.	Intubation, Endotracheal,Endotracheal Intubation,Endotracheal Intubations,Intratracheal Intubation,Intratracheal Intubations,Intubations, Endotracheal,Intubations, Intratracheal
D008297	Male		Males
D011015	Pneumonia, Aspiration	A type of lung inflammation resulting from the aspiration of food, liquid, or gastric contents into the upper RESPIRATORY TRACT.	Acid Aspiration Syndrome,Aspiration Pneumonia,Gastric Acid Aspiration Syndrome,Mendelson Syndrome,Mendelson's Syndrome,Acid Aspiration Syndromes,Aspiration Pneumonias,Mendelsons Syndrome,Pneumonias, Aspiration,Syndrome, Acid Aspiration,Syndrome, Mendelson,Syndrome, Mendelson's,Syndromes, Acid Aspiration
D003680	Deglutition Disorders	Difficulty in SWALLOWING which may result from neuromuscular disorder or mechanical obstruction. Dysphagia is classified into two distinct types: oropharyngeal dysphagia due to malfunction of the PHARYNX and UPPER ESOPHAGEAL SPHINCTER; and esophageal dysphagia due to malfunction of the ESOPHAGUS.	Dysphagia,Swallowing Disorders,Esophageal Dysphagia,Oropharyngeal Dysphagia,Deglutition Disorder,Disorders, Deglutition,Dysphagia, Esophageal,Dysphagia, Oropharyngeal,Swallowing Disorder
D005471	Fluoroscopy	Production of an image when x-rays strike a fluorescent screen.	Fluoroscopies
D005500	Follow-Up Studies	Studies in which individuals or populations are followed to assess the outcome of exposures, procedures, or effects of a characteristic, e.g., occurrence of disease.	Followup Studies,Follow Up Studies,Follow-Up Study,Followup Study,Studies, Follow-Up,Studies, Followup,Study, Follow-Up,Study, Followup
D005683	Gagging	Contraction of the muscle of the PHARYNX caused by stimulation of sensory receptors on the SOFT PALATE, by psychic stimuli, or systemically by drugs.	Reflex, Pharyngeal,Pharyngeal Reflex
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000368	Aged	A person 65 years of age or older. For a person older than 79 years, AGED, 80 AND OVER is available.	Elderly
D001466	Barium Sulfate	A compound used as an x-ray contrast medium that occurs in nature as the mineral barite. It is also used in various manufacturing applications and mixed into heavy concrete to serve as a radiation shield.	Barite,Baritop,Barium Sulfate (2:1),E-Z-CAT,Micropaque Oral,E Z CAT,EZCAT,Sulfate, Barium