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Formal dysphagia screening protocols prevent pneumonia.

Judith A Hinchey·Timothy Shephard·Karen Furie·Don Smith·David Wang·Sarah Tonn·Stroke Practice Improvement Network Investigators
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Pneumonia is an important complication of ischemic stroke and increases mortality 3-fold. Five guidelines recommend a dysphagia screen before oral intake. What constitutes an adequate dysphagia screen and which patients should receive it remain unclear. METHODS: Fifteen acute care institutions prospectively collected data on all admitted patients with acute ischemic stroke. Sites were required to collect data on demographics and 4 quality indicators. Optional data included stroke severity and complications. We measured adherence to a screen for dysphagia, the type of screen, and development of in-hospital pneumonia. RESULTS: Between December 2001 and January 2003, 2532 cases were collected. In-hospital complications were recorded on 2329 (92%) of cases. Stroke severity was captured on 1361 (54%). Adherence to a dysphagia screen was 61%. Six sites had a formal dysphagia screen, and their adherence rate was 78% compared with 57% at sites with no formal screen. The pneumonia rate at sites with a formal dysphagia screen was 2.4% versus 5.4% (P=0.0016) at sites with no formal screen. There was no difference in median stroke severity (5 versus 4; P=0.84) between the sites with and without a formal screen. A formal dysphagia screen prevented pneumonia even after adjusting for stroke severity. CONCLUSIONS: A formal dysphagia screen is associated with a higher adherence rate to dysphagia screens and a significantly decreased risk of pneumonia. A formal screening protocol should be offered to all stroke patients, regardless of stroke severity.

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AgedDeglutition DisordersFemaleHospitalsHumansLength of StayMaleMass ScreeningMiddle AgedModels, StatisticalPneumoniaProspective StudiesQuality ControlRegression AnalysisReproducibility of ResultsStrokeTime FactorsTreatment OutcomeJournal ArticleMulticenter StudyResearch Support, N.I.H., ExtramuralResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tResearch Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

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Judith A Hinchey, Timothy Shephard, Karen Furie, Don Smith, David Wang, Sarah Tonn, Stroke Practice Improvement Network Investigators. 2005-08-18. Formal dysphagia screening protocols prevent pneumonia.. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.str.0000177529.86868.8d

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