[Swallowing apnea in adults]

We have studied the swallowing apnea in 66 persons. Five were laryngectomized. We analysed 1916 breathing/swallowing correlation charts, 109 in laryngectomized and 1807 in not laryngectomized persons. The correlation charts were done using a piezoelectric and thermistor register coupled to a manometric system developed by Synetics Medical interfaced to a microcomputer running software Polygram upper 4.21. Our observation allows us to conclude that: 1. the swallowing apnea has not the same reflex path of the breathing interruption that occurs when a foreign body stimulates the laryngeal receptors; 2. the swallowing apnea installation is not dependent on the laryngeal structures; 3. the swallowing apnea and rima glottidis closure, that occur in the same moment, are correlated phenomena, but are a distinct part of the airway protective mechanisms; and 4. even though the swallowing apnea can occur in every moment of the breathing cycle, it occurs more frequently at the end of expiratory and beginning of the inspiratory phase of breathing cycle; it is usually continued by a complementary expiration. We believe that the less lung volume is the basic condition to the establishment of the more frequent kind of swallowing apnea reflex.