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BACKGROUND: Chronic respiratory disease disproportionately affects residents of Appalachia, particularly those residing in Central Appalachia. Asthma is particularly burdensome to Central Appalachian residents regarding cost and disability. Improving our understanding of how to mitigate these burdens requires understanding the factors influencing asthma control among individuals with asthma living in Central Appalachia, specifically rural Kentucky. METHODS: This community-based, cross-sectional epidemiologic study used survey data to identify characteristics associated with uncontrolled and controlled asthma. The designation of "uncontrolled asthma" was based on a self-report of ≥ 2 asthma exacerbations in the past year. Individuals with ≤ 1 or no exacerbations were considered to have controlled asthma. Chi-square or Fisher exact tests assessed the association between categorical variables and asthma control categories. Logistic regression was conducted to determine the impact of factors on the likelihood of uncontrolled asthma. RESULTS: In a sample of 211 individuals with self-reported asthma, 29% (n = 61, 46 females) had uncontrolled asthma. Predictors of uncontrolled asthma included depression (odds ratio 2.61, 95% CI 1.22-5.61, p = .014) and living in multi-unit housing (odds ratio 4.99, 95% CI 1.47-16.96, p = .010) when controlling for age, sex, financial status, and occupation. Being overweight or obese was not a predictor of uncontrolled asthma. Physical activity and BMI did not predict the likelihood of uncontrolled asthma. CONCLUSION: This study highlights significant challenges rural communities in Appalachian Kentucky face in managing asthma. Factors like depression, housing conditions, and a lack of self-management strategies play pivotal roles in asthma control in this population.

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Patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are infrequently nourished via oral feeding due to aspiration risks. Patients with COVID-19 and on ECMO represent a subpopulation that has additional factors that may affect their swallow function. This study aimed to describe the swallow function and ability to maintain oral feeding in patients with COVID-19 while on ECMO. A retrospective study of patients with COVID-19 who started veno-venous ECMO at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 and August 2020) was conducted at a tertiary care hospital. Clinical swallow evaluations and videofluoroscopic swallow studies (VFSS) were analyzed using standardized measurement scales. Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) identified relationships between ECMO and swallowing function at different time points. 19 patients were included; all underwent clinical swallow evaluation and 4 underwent VFSS while on ECMO. Mean age was 43.2 years (standard deviation: 9.2), mean duration of ECMO was 65.7 days (58.7), and mean duration of intubation was 14.4 days (8.6). All patients were able to undergo swallow function evaluation, regain swallow function, and resume oral feeding while cannulated. Duration of ECMO and time to feeding tube removal was positively correlated (r = 0.747, p < 0.001) with patients demonstrating less functional swallowing independence and requiring a more modified diet upon oral diet initiation. Clinical swallow evaluation and videofluoroscopic swallowing evaluation are possible for COVID-19 patients actively on ECMO. Patient swallow function can improve, and oral diet can be achieved while on ECMO, demonstrating benefit of SLP surveillance and swallowing assessment prior to ECMO decannulation.

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BACKGROUND: High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) oxygen therapy is used to deliver warm and humidified gases to patients in respiratory failure. A purported advantage of HFNC oxygen therapy is that it can allow for oral feeding while on the device, although few data support this practice. The purpose of this study was to identify practices and opinions with regard to feeding practices during HFNC oxygen therapy. METHODS: A survey related to the practice and opinions of feeding practices during HFNC oxygen therapy was developed and sent to respiratory therapists, speech-language pathologists, physicians, advanced practice providers, and registered dietitians. RESULTS: Respondents included 307 professionals from 14 different countries. Most respondents worked in an academic/teaching hospital (n = 174 [56.7%]) with patients ages ≥ 18 years (n = 282 [91.9%]). Most respondents stated that their institution did not have a specific feeding protocol for HFNC oxygen therapy (n = 246 [80.4%]) and felt that patients could have an oral diet during HFNC oxygen therapy if not in imminent danger of being intubated (n = 264 [86.3%]). Fewer than half of the respondents felt that patients should have a bedside/clinical swallow examination before eating and/or drinking during HFNC oxygen therapy (n = 143 [46.7%]). By profession, most physicians/advanced practice providers (n = 67 [59.3%]), respiratory therapists (n = 37 [62.7%]) and half of the registered dietitians (n = 16 [50%]) felt that bedside/clinical swallow examinations were unnecessary before eating and/or drinking with HFNC, but speech-language pathologists were in favor (n = 77 [75.5%]). CONCLUSIONS: Most facilities did not have a protocol to guide feeding practices when HFNC oxygen therapy is used. Most clinicians felt that an oral diet is safe for stable patients not in danger of being intubated. In general, speech-language pathologists felt that patients on HFNC oxygen therapy should undergo a bedside/clinical swallow examination before eating and/or drinking.

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BACKGROUND: Clinicians need to deliver prognostic information to surrogates of nondecisional, critically ill patients so that surrogates can make informed medical decisions that reflect the patient's values. Our objective was to implement a new approach for communicating with surrogates of patients with chronic critical illness. METHODS: Surrogate decision makers of patients who were difficult to liberate from mechanical ventilation were prospectively enrolled. Surrogates met with different members of the intensive care unit treatment team for sequential 15-minute appointments to receive patient-specific assessments and education on chronic critical illness. The feasibility and acceptability of this approach were determined. A 24-question comprehension instrument was developed to assess a participant's understanding that a family member was displaying features of chronic critical illness. Each question was scored from 1 to 5, with larger scores indicating greater comprehension. RESULTS: Over a 15-week period, educational sessions for 9 mechanically ventilated patients were conducted. On average, 2 surrogates per patient (range: 1-4) and 6 members of the interdisciplinary team (range: 4-6) were at each meeting. Surrogates and clinicians had very positive impressions of the communication intervention. The average preintervention comprehension score was 85 of 120 (standard deviation [SD]: 8, range: 71-101). The postintervention comprehension score was greater by 5 points on average (SD: 9, range: -11 to +20 points, P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: Surrogates of critically ill patients approved of this novel communication approach and had a greater understanding of the patient's medical condition after the intervention.

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OBJECTIVE: To investigate functional and physiological changes in swallowing performance of adults with chronic dysphagia after an exercise-based dysphagia therapy. DESIGN: Intervention study: before-after trial with 3-month follow-up evaluation. SETTING: Outpatient clinic within a tertiary care academic health science center. PARTICIPANTS: Adults (N=9) with chronic (>12 mo) dysphagia after unsuccessful prior therapies. Subjects were identified from among patients referred to an outpatient dysphagia clinic. Subjects had dysphagia secondary to prior treatment for head/neck cancer or from neurologic injury. All subjects demonstrated clinical and fluoroscopic evidence of oropharyngeal dysphagia. No subject withdrew during the course of this study. INTERVENTIONS: All subjects completed 3 weeks of an intensive, exercise-based dysphagia therapy. Therapy was conducted daily for 1h/d, with additional activities completed by subjects each night between therapy sessions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes were clinical and functional change in swallowing performance with maintenance at 3 months after intervention. Secondary, exploratory outcomes included physiological change in swallow performance measured by hyolaryngeal elevation, lingual-palatal and pharyngeal manometric pressure, and surface electromyographic amplitude. RESULTS: Clinical and functional swallowing performances improved significantly and were maintained at the 3-month follow-up examination. Subject perspective (visual analog scale) on functional swallowing also improved. Four of 7 subjects who were initially feeding tube dependent progressed to total oral intake after 3 weeks of intervention. Physiological indices demonstrated increased swallowing effort after intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Significant clinical and functional improvement in swallowing performance followed a time-limited (3 wk) exercise-based intervention in a sample of subjects with chronic dysphagia. Physiological changes after therapy implicate improved neuromuscular functioning within the swallow mechanism.

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OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical effectiveness and safety of a novel behavioral voice therapy program combining structured vocal exercise with adjunctive neuromuscular electrical stimulation for rehabilitating dysphonia secondary to vocal fold bowing. DESIGN: Prospective interventional clinical case series with a 3-month follow-up. SETTING: Outpatient speech and hearing clinic in an academic medical center. PATIENTS: Convenience sample of 7 patients diagnosed by an otolaryngologist as having chronic dysphonia for at least 3 months due to bilateral vocal fold bowing. INTERVENTION: A novel voice therapy program incorporating exercise principles and sustained phonations of increasing length, volume, and pitch paired with concurrent transcutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Change in maximum phonation time, highest attainable pitch, glottal closure, supraglottic compression, and Voice Handicap Index. RESULTS: Maximum phonation time for /i/ increased significantly (z = -2.201, P < .03), with a modest effect demonstrated (Hedges g, 0.65; 95% confidence interval, -0.56 to 1.75). Voice Handicap Index trended toward significance (z = -1.787, P < .07). Glottal closure during phonation improved, and supraglottic compression decreased. Improvements were maintained or enhanced at the 3-month follow-up. Analysis of highest attainable pitch data was limited owing to aperiodicity in the baseline evaluations. CONCLUSIONS: Behavioral voice therapy with adjunctive neuromuscular electrical stimulation reduced vocal fold bowing, resulting in improved acoustic, laryngeal, and patient-centered outcomes. Maximum phonation time and glottal closure results imply increased vocal fold tension secondary to enhanced thyroarytenoid or cricothyroid muscle function after voice therapy.

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Traditionally, treatment of dysphagia and dysphonia has followed a specificity approach whereby treatment plans have focused on each dysfunction individually. Recently however, a therapeutic cross-system effect has been proposed between these two dysfunctions. At least one study has demonstrated swallowing improvement in subjects who completed a dysphonia treatment program. However, we are unaware of any evidence demonstrating the converse effect. In this paper, we present a case-report of a 74 year old male who demonstrated improvement in selected vocal parameters after completion of a dysphagia therapy program.Dysphagia therapy resulted in improved laryngeal function in this subject. Results implicate improved vocal fold tension with increased glottal closure. Further investigation into the potential for this cross-system effect is warranted.