The swallow, a target to follow the restauration of consciousness in acquired brain injury.
Anne Charlotte Lerick, Eleonore Sequeira, Jean Glenisson and 4 others
PMID 40598803WHAT IT FOUND
Swallowing ability tracked closely with levels of consciousness in ten patients with acquired brain injury.
Better oral and pharyngeal function matched higher consciousness scores. This suggests swallowing status may help track recovery, though the small sample limits certainty.
Key findings
01Total swallowing scores correlated strongly with consciousness levels measured by the CRS-R scale.
02Total swallowing scores also correlated strongly with consciousness levels measured by the WHIM scale.
03Oral phase items like mouth opening and lip prehension were more impaired in patients with lower levels of consciousness.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Very small sample size with only 10 patients and 31 evaluable days. Single-centre design limits generalisability. Missing data led to a significant reduction in evaluable assessments. Tracheostomy presence and recent suctioning can interfere with swallowing assessments. Fluctuations in wakefulness common in disorders of consciousness may affect test reliability. Some patients had severe oral apraxia which may have confounded swallowing evaluations.
Declared interests
Not reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat swallowing improvement as definitive proof of consciousness recovery. The study was small, and factors like tracheostomy status, suctioning timing, and natural fluctuations in alertness can alter swallowing scores independently of the patient's level of consciousness.