Safety and clinical impact of FEES - results of the FEES-registry.

BACKGROUND: At present, the flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) is one of the most commonly used methods for the objective assessment of swallowing. This multicenter trial prospectively collected data on the safety of FEES and also assessed the impact of this procedure on clinical dysphagia management. METHODS: Patients were recruited in 23 hospitals in Germany and Switzerland from September 2014 to May 2017. Patient characteristics, professional affiliation of the FEES examiners (physicians or speech and language therapists), side-effects and cardiorespiratory parameters, severity of dysphagia and clinical consequences of FEES were documented. RESULTS: 2401 patients, mean age 69.8 (14.6) years, 42.3% women, were included in the FEES-registry. The most common main diagnosis was stroke (61%), followed by Parkinson's disease (6.5%). FEES was well tolerated by patients. Complications were reported in 2% of examinations, were all self-limited and resolved without sequelae and showed no correlation to the endoscopist's previous experience. In more than 50% of investigations FEES led to changes of feeding strategies, in the majority of cases an upgrade of oral diet was possible. DISCUSSION: This study confirmed that FEES, even when performed by less experienced clinicians is a safe and well tolerated procedure and significantly impacts on the patients' clinical course. Implementation of a FEES-service in different clinical settings may improve dysphagia care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03037762, registered January 31st 2017.

Factors influencing weaning from mechanical ventilation in neurological and neurosurgical early rehabilitation patients.

BACKGROUND: Studies analyzing risk factors of weaning failure in neurological and neurosurgical early rehabilitation (NNER) patients are rare. AIM: The aim of this study was to identify clinical factors influencing the weaning of NNER patients. DESIGN: An observational, retrospective data analysis of a German multicenter study was performed. SETTING: German neurological early rehabilitation centers. POPULATION: Inpatient ventilated NNER patients (N.=192) were enrolled in the study. METHODS: Demographical data, main diagnosis, medical devices, special medical care and assessment instruments of functional abilities, consciousness and independence in activities of daily living were accrued and compared between patients with and without successful weaning. The prognostic power of factors associated with weaning success/failure was analyzed using binary logistic regression. RESULTS: In total, 75% of the patients were successfully weaned. Colonization with multi-drug resistant bacteria and the need for dialysis were independent predictors of weaning failure. Successfully weaned patients had a shorter length of stay, better functional outcome, and lower mortality than non-successfully weaned patients. CONCLUSIONS: Successfully weaned patients differ from patients with weaning failure in several clinical variables. All these variables are associated with the morbidity of the patient, indicating that the weaning process is strongly influenced by disease burden. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: Functional abilities, level of consciousness, independence in activities of daily living, colonization with multi-drug resistant bacteria, need for dialysis and disease duration might help to predict the weaning process of NNER.