May 18, 2023

EP 21: Dysphagia in critical care with Sarah Wallace OBE

40 minutes

A clinical setting that we have not yet covered in this podcast is the intensive care unit (ICU). We were very lucky to have Sarah Wallace OBE as our guest, as she brings a lot of expertise from working clinically as an SLT in critical care as well as conducting research in this field.

In this episode, Sarah will explain why dysphagia on the ICU is multifactorial, why it is so important to restore airflow through the upper airway and how dysphagia clinicians take on a central role in weaning patients from the ventilator.

Helpful literature that we discuss or mention in this episode:

Brodsky et al. (2016). Recovery from Dysphagia Symptoms after Oral Endotracheal Intubation in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Survivors. A 5-Year Longitudinal Study. https://doi.org/10.1513/AnnalsATS.201606-455OC

Dziewas et al. (2018). Pharyngeal electrical stimulation for early decannulation in tracheotomised patients with neurogenic dysphagia after stroke (PHAST-TRAC): a prospective, single-blinded, randomised trial. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(18)30255-2

McGrath, B.A. (2016). Above cuff vocalisation: A novel technique for communication in the ventilator-dependent tracheostomy patient. https://doi.org/10.1177/1751143715607549

Troll et al. (2023). A bedside swallowing screen for the identification of post-extubation dysphagia on the intensive care unit – validation of the Gugging Swallowing Screen (GUSS)-ICU. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12871-023-02072-6

Wallace, S. & McGrath, B.A. (2021). Laryngeal complications after tracheal intubation and tracheostomy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjae.2021.02.005

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By Julia and Jule