Quality of life and deglutition after total laryngectomy

Introduction: Total laryngectomy creates deglutition disorders and causes a decrease in quality of life Aim: To describe the impact of swallowing and quality of life of patients after total laryngectomy. Method: A case series study. Patients completed a Swallowing and Quality of Life questionnaire composed of 44 questions assessing 11 domains related to quality of life (burden, eating duration, eating desire, frequency of symptoms, food selection, communication, fear, mental health, social functioning, sleep, and fatigue). The analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, including measures of central tendency and variability. Results: The sample comprised 15 patients who underwent total laryngectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy. Of these, 66.7% classified their health as good and 73% reported no restrictions on food consistency. The domains "communication" and "fear" represented severe impact and "eating duration" represented moderate impact on quality of life. The items with lower scores were: longer time to eat than others (domain "eating duration"), cough and cough to remove the liquid or food of the mouth when they are stopped (domain "symptom frequency"), difficulties in understanding (domain "communication") and fear of choking and having pneumonia (domain "fear"). Conclusion: After total laryngectomy, patients report that swallowing issues have moderate to severe impact in "communication," "fear," and "eating duration" domains...

Adaptações na mastigação, deglutição e fonoarticulação em idosos de instituição de longa permanência / Chew, deglutition and speech adaptations in aged people at a long permanence institution

Objetivo: identificar adaptações existentes nas funções estomatognáticas de mastigação, deglutição e fonoarticulação em idosos de Instituição de longa permanência. MÉTODOS: participaram da pesquisa 34 idosos, sendo 15 do sexo feminino e 19 do sexo masculino na faixa etária de 65 a 88 anos. Foram realizadas entrevistas contendo perguntas sobre a saúde geral e alimentação do idoso e avaliações fonoaudiológicas a fim de caracterizar as funções de mastigação, deglutição e fonoarticulação. RESULTADOS: em relação à mastigação, foi observado que a maioria dos idosos apresentou mastigação adaptada, com participação exagerada da musculatura perioral, movimentos mandibulares verticais e o padrão mastigatório predominante foi bilateral simultâneo. Em relação à deglutição, observou-se que assim como a mastigação, esta função se apresentou adaptada na maioria dos voluntários, com a participação exagerada da musculatura perioral e ruído durante a deglutição. Na avaliação da fonoarticulação, foi visto que mais de 50 por cento dos idosos apresentou escape de ar durante a fala, assim como uma elevação de laringe reduzida e presença de substituição, omissão, distorção e imprecisão. CONCLUSÃO: observou-se que os idosos se adaptam durante o processo de mastigação a fim de manter sua dieta o mais próximo possível da realizada quando jovem. Também foi visto que os pesquisados realizam compensações durante a deglutição. As características fonoarticulatórias encontradas não limitam severamente a comunicação dos idosos atualmente. Foi possível ainda observar que o atendimento ao idoso necessita ser interdisciplinar e que o fonoaudiólogo pode e deve fazer parte dessa equipe auxiliando na prevenção e/ou reabilitação de problemas relacionados às funções estomatognáticas.

Purpose: to identify extant adaptations into stomatognathic functions of chew, deglutition and speech in aged people at a long permanence Institution. METHODS: 34 aged people, of both genders, being 15 feminine and 19 masculine, with ages ranging from 65 to 88 years, took part in the study. Interviews were carried through containing questions for the aged people on general health and feeding and speech therapy evaluations were performed in order to characterize functions of chew, deglutition and speech. RESULTS: as for chew, it was observed that the majority of aged people showed an adapted chew, with exaggerated participation of perioral muscles, heaves of jaw and predominant chew standard was bilateral simultaneous. As for deglutition, it was observed that this function as well as chew were an adapted form into the majority of volunteers majority, we also observed the occurrence of exaggerated participation of perioral muscles and noise during deglutition. In speech evaluation we noted that in more than 50 percent of the aged people, there was great air escape occurring during speaks, as well as a rise of reduced larynx and the presence of substitution, omission, distortion and imprecision. CONCLUSION: it was observed that aged people get adaptations during chew process in order to keep their possible diet next to when they were young. It was also noted that the studied aged people carry through some compensations during deglutition. The found speech characteristics do not limit severely aged people communication currently. It was still possible to observe that attendance to aged people needed to be carried through by an interdisciplinary team and that speech therapist can and must be part of this team assisting in preventing and/or rehabilitating issues related to stomatognathic functions.