RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Swallowing disorders are common in hospitalised patients and are an added difficulty when it comes to discharging them from hospital. Suitable characterisation performed by means of assessments conducted by a neurologist and a speech and language therapist allows for more accurate therapeutic decision-making. AIM: To describe swallowing disorders from the speech and language therapy evaluation performed on admission until discharge in paediatric patients and their relation with the therapeutic intervention that was implemented. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis consisting in the examination of the medical records of 38 paediatric patients hospitalised between May 2007 and June 2008. Functional clinical evaluation was carried out in 100% of patients, and a video swallow study was conducted in 34%. Swallowing disorders were characterised as mild, moderate and severe, according to the stage that was altered and aspiratory risk to the airway. A speech therapist provided therapeutic intervention, and parents and caregivers were given special training. RESULTS: Swallowing disorders were chiefly associated to prematurity. The most frequently used therapeutic techniques were: tactile stimulation, providing patterns and training of parents. In the speech and language therapy evaluation performed on admission, 37% of disorders were severe, 21% were moderate and 42% were mild disorders. In most of the newborn infants, progress was favourable, as shown by a shift to normal swallowing in 48% and to mild in 8%. In the 17 preterm newborn infants, there was a change to normal swallowing in 65% and to mild in 12%. CONCLUSIONS: Swallowing disorders in this group of patients is mainly associated to prematurity. Systematic therapeutic intervention would help in the recovery from swallowing disorders, especially in preterm newborn infants.