A Prospective Validation Study of the Functional Bedside Aspiration Screen with Endoscopy: Is It Clinically...

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Swallowing Disorders
• Clinical Assessment

Background:

• Aspiration risk is a significant concern in acute stroke patients.
• Accurate and timely assessment is crucial for guiding dysphagia management.
• Existing assessment tools may require specialized equipment or expertise.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the reliability of the Functional Bedside Aspiration Screen (FBAS) in predicting aspiration risk.
• To assess the FBAS's utility in guiding initial therapy needs for acute stroke patients.
• To compare FBAS performance against established swallowing assessment scales.

Main Methods:

• Prospective validation study involving 101 acute ischemic stroke patients.
• Comparison of FBAS scores with the Penetration Aspiration Scale (PAS) using Flexible Endoscopic Swallowing Study.
• Correlation analysis with the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) and Therapy Requirement Scale (TRS).

Main Results:

• FBAS demonstrated 73% sensitivity and 62% specificity for predicting aspiration risk (PAS ≥ 6).
• For patients with mild neurological deficits (mRS 0-2), FBAS showed 66.7% sensitivity and 88.6% specificity.
• FBAS scores correlated negatively with PAS and positively with FOIS, indicating clinical relevance.

Conclusions:

• The Functional Bedside Aspiration Screen (FBAS) is a reliable tool for predicting aspiration risk in acute stroke.
• FBAS can serve as a time-efficient clinical support tool, especially where instrumentation is limited.
• Further research with larger cohorts, including severely affected stroke patients, is warranted.