RESUMO
Background: Swallowing disorders are common in hospitalized patients. Functional endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) is a simple, safe and effective test for the diagnosis and monitoring of these disorders. Aim: To report the results of functional endoscopic swallowing evaluation. Material and Methods: Retrospective review of all records of functional swallowing evaluation procedures performed in a 6 months period. Results: A total of 327 evaluations were analyzed. Sixty seven percent were performed for the first time in a patient and 32.4 percent were follow-up evaluations. Mean age of patients was 73 ± 17 (SD) years and 56 percent were male. Twenty nine percent had prolonged orotracheal intubation (> 48 hours). Swallowing was evaluated as normal, mildly, moderately and severely altered in 8.2, 27, 27 and 38 percent of cases, respectively. Age (> 50 years) and orotracheal intubation were the most important predictors of severity (p = 0,01). Oral feeding was achieved during hospital stay in 78 and 55 percent of patients with moderate or severe swallowing disorders, respectively, after a delay of 8.7 and 14.3 days, respectively. Having a severe swallowing disorder during the first evaluation, increased fourfold the risk of gastrostomy. Conclusions: Most hospitalized patients with swallowing disorders achieve oral feeding before leaving hospital. Safe oral feeding is delayed as swallowing disorder is of greater severity.