Management of swallowing disorders in ICU patients - A multinational expert opinion

BACKGROUND: Dysphagia is common in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, yet it remains underrecognized and often unmanaged despite being associated with life-threatening complications, prolonged ICU stays and hospitalization.

PURPOSE: To propose an expert opinion for the diagnosis and management of dysphagia developed from evidence-based clinical recommendations and practitioner insights.

METHODS: A multinational group of dysphagia and critical care experts conducted a literature review using a modified ACCORD methodology. Based on a fusion of the available evidence and the panel's clinical experience, an expert opinion on best practice management was developed.

RESULTS: The panel recommends adopting clinical algorithms intended to promote standardized, high-quality care that triggers timely systematic dysphagia screening, assessment, and treatment of extubated and tracheostomized patients in the ICU.

CONCLUSIONS: Given the lack of robust scientific evidence, two clinical management algorithms are proposed for use by multidisciplinary teams to improve early systematic detection and effective management of dysphagia in ICU patients. Additionally, emerging therapeutic options such as neurostimulation have the potential to improve the quality of ICU dysphagia care.