Is Bedside Swallow Assessment Important Post-Acute Stroke ?

Abstract

Introduction: Dysphagia can be defined as the inability to transfer the food from the mouth through the pharynx and esophagus into the stomach safely and efficiently (Johnson & Barbara 1998) due to different causes. Aims: - To identify the type of dysphagia occurring in stroke patients. - To develop a dysphagia assessment protocol and management considerations of dysphagic symptoms in stroke patients. Methodology: Subjects taken for the study included 13 patients who were admitted in tertiary hospital following stroke. Dysphagia assessment both informal and formal was administered in these patients within 1 month of stroke. Conclusion: This study reveals that oral dysphagia and oropharyngeal dysphagia is prominently seen in patients with stroke. Hence, screening of stroke patients for dysphagic symptoms should be made mandatory by a Speech Language Pathologist.