Predictors of the Ability to Protect the Airway in Long-term Ventilated Patients

Mass General Brigham

Status: Completed

Conditions: Long Term Ventilation; Aspiration; Swallowing Disorder

Treatments: Other: Ventilator; Other: Muscle Strength Measurement

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01618240

2010P001919A

Details and patient eligibility

About

First part of a 2 part study with the same IRB protocol #, and labeled 'A'. Investigators hypothesized that clinical muscle strength assessment (manual muscle testing) predicts the ability to protect the airway during swallowing in long-term ventilated subjects. More specifically, the investigators hypothesized that low muscle strength is associated with the inability to clear secretions from the peri-laryngeal area (valleculae and pyriform sinus residue scale (VPSR scale [NRS: 0-4] of > 1) and entering the materials into airway (PAS scale [1-8]> 1), which should predispose to endotracheal aspiration.

Enrollment: 30 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Patients admitted to the Respiratory Acute Care Unit and Surgical Intensive Care Unit, units with a mixed collection of long term ventilated patients in a major academic teaching hospital.
2. Age over 18 years.
3. Long-term ventilated patients (>10 days) with tracheotomies

Exclusion criteria

1. Decreased level of consciousness as defined by a Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) of 0.
2. Non-cooperative patient, CAM score positive for delirium.
3. For women: pregnancy.

Trial design

30 participants in 1 patient group

Long term ventilated subjects

Description:

Muscle Strength Measurement, ventilator

Treatment:

Other: Ventilator

Other: Muscle Strength Measurement