Abstract
Swallowing disorders are common in hospitalized patients. Functional endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) is a simple, safe and effective test for the diagnosis and monitoring of these disorders. To report the results of functional endoscopic swallowing evaluation. Retrospective review of all records of functional swallowing evaluation procedures performed in a 6 months period. A total of 327 evaluations were analyzed. Sixty seven percent were performed for the first time in a patient and 32.4% were follow-up evaluations. Mean age of patients was 73 ± 17 (SD) years and 56% were male. Twenty nine percent had prolonged orotracheal intubation (> 48 hours). Swallowing was evaluated as normal, mildly, moderately and severely altered in 8.2, 27, 27 and 38% of cases, respectively. Age (> 50 years) and orotracheal intubation were the most important predictors of severity (p = 0,01). Oral feeding was achieved during hospital stay in 78 and 55 % of patients with moderate or severe swallowing disorders, respectively, after a delay of 8.7 and 14.3 days, respectively. Having a severe swallowing disorder during the first evaluation, increased fourfold the risk of gastrostomy. Most hospitalized patients with swallowing disorders achieve oral feeding before leaving hospital. Safe oral feeding is delayed as swallowing disorder is of greater severity.
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