Screening for dysphagia can aid return to oral feeding

Nurse screening for dysphagia in postextubation critically ill patients can increase a successful return to oral feeding at ICU discharge and decrease the chances of patients developing postextubation pneumonia, new research suggests. According to the study, which was published this month in the journal Critical Care, swallowing difficulties are common, and dysphagia occurs frequently in ICU patients after extubation. Yet, no guidelines on postextubation swallowing assessment exist. Therefore the researchers aimed to investigate the safety and effectiveness of nurse-performed screening (NPS) for postextubation dysphagia in the medical ICU. Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study of mechanically ventilated patients who were…