Feasibility of swallowing interventions for tracheostomized individuals with severely disordered consciousness following traumatic brain injury

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To report the ability of 12 tracheostomized acute rehabilitation hospital inpatients with severely disordered consciousness post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) to participate in an objective swallowing assessment. RESEARCH DESIGN: Post hoc analysis of data from a larger, prospective blinded comparison study. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Subjects completed a modified barium swallow (MBS) study. Food/drink and tracheostomy tube management recommendations were made. MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: All subjects participated successfully during an MBS. Post-MBS, 10 subjects began receiving small amounts of food and/or drink. Prior to hospital discharge, all subjects received some food and/or drink and were extubated. Subjects were deemed representative of this patient population and, from a swallowing perspective, other tracheostomized patient populations at the same facility. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should routinely consider tracheostomized, acute rehabilitation hospital inpatients with severely disordered consciousness post-TBI potential MBS candidates. Implications and continued research needs are discussed.