Dysphagia and associated clinical markers in neurologically intact children with respiratory disease

ObjectiveThe identification of oropharyngeal aspiration is paramount since it can have negative consequences on a compromised respiratory status. Our hypothesis was that dysphagia in neurologically intact children with respiratory disease is associated to specific clinical markers. Study DesignUsing the medical files we conducted a retrospective, observational cohort study on children admitted to the pediatric hospital unit due to respiratory disease. We collected data on specific parameters of a clinical swallowing assessment and dysphagia was classified according to the Dysphagia Management Staging Scale. We also included the following clinical markers: age, days of hospitalization, need for orotracheal intubation (OTI), duration of orotracheal intubation (in hours), number of previous hospital admissions due to respiratory disease, number of previous hospital admissions due to other causes, and previous orotracheal intubations. ResultsThe final study sample consisted of 102 patients (mean age of 5.88 months). For the purposes of statistical analysis, the patients were grouped according to the classification of dysphagia (ie, no dysphagia, mild dysphagia, and moderate-severe dysphagia). Data analysis indicated that the clinical markers of orotracheal intubation (P=0.042), duration of orotracheal intubation (P=0.025), and days of hospitalization (P=0.037) were significant in children with moderate-severe dysphagia. ConclusionsOur data indicate that neurologically intact children with respiratory disease who were submitted to prolonged OTI (ie, over 48h) should be prioritized for receiving a detailed swallowing assessment.