Profiling of Oropharyngeal Dysphagia in an Acute Care Hospital Setting

To identify the main complaints, diagnostic tools, as well as the treatment plan in patients presenting with oropharyngeal dysphagia in the acute care settings.

The electronic medical chart of 100 consecutive hospitalized patients who presented an oropharyngeal dysphagia were retrospectively reviewed from January 2017 to January 2019.

The mean age of patients was 76.03 (standard deviation = 16.06) years old with 71% of patients being males. The most common admission diagnosis was pneumonia (30%), followed by stroke (28%). The swallowing evaluation was performed on the regular floor in 85% of patients and in the intensive care unit in 15% of patients. The main reasons for the swallowing evaluation are suspicion of aspiration by the medical or nursing teams (60%), systematic evaluation (20%), ear, nose and throat (ENT) complaints by the patient (14%), and aspiration pneumonia (6%). Fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing with sensitivity testing was the most common diagnostic tool used alone in 88% of patients. Diet and postural modifications were prescribed to 71% and 62% of the patients, respectively. Swallowing exercises were performed in 43% of patients. Overall, otolaryngologist interventions resulted in an increased rate of patients getting oral intake compared to nonoral feeding routes (P = .05).

This study adds knowledge about the causes and characteristics of oropharyngeal dysphagia in an acute tertiary medical setting. It also provides insights regarding the role, and the consequences of a swallowing intervention led by an ENT specialist in collaboration with the members of the health team.