Oropharyngeal Dysphagia After Hospitalization for COVID-19 Disease: Our Screening Results

A high percentage of patients suffered symptoms also after recovery from the Coronavirus Disease—2019 (COVID-19) infection. It is not well clear what are the specific long-term sequelae (complications and symptoms). During the acute phase the patients may develop a multi-organ system pathology including aerodigestive tract. As the pathophysiology of COVID-19 emerges, the aim of our study was to describe the prevalence of oropharyngeal dysphagia after COVID-19 disease. From March to July 2020 we enrolled patients recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection who had been previously hospitalized for the disease. They were screened for dysphagia by mean of the Eating Assessment Tool-10 (EAT-10). The cases with EAT-10 score > 3 were graded for the aspiration risk by applying the Gugging Swallowing Screen (GUSS) and were submitted to the Swal-QoL questionnaire. The cases with a GUSS score > 19 were subjected to FEES. 8/117 (7%) patients had positive screening result. 4/8 (50%) revealed an abnormal health related quality of life in oropharyngeal dysphagia with a mean Swal-QoL score of 69.73. The most affected domain was the “time of meals” (mean score 65) following by the “sleep” (mean score 66) and “eating desire” (mean score 72). 1/8 cases showed increased risk for aspiration and did not showed endoscopic signs of oropharyngeal dysphagia. Our results showed that the prevalence of upper dysphagia after hospitalization for SARS-CoV-2 is not anecdotal and that probably this long-lasting sequela has a psychogenic etiology

Riabilitazione fonatoria con protesi: il ruolo del logopedista

laringectomia totale, protesi tracheo-esofagea, riabilitazione fonatori

La valutazione multidisciplinare nello squilibrio muscolare orofacciale

bambini e le bambine che per varie ragioni iniziano a parlare in ritardo non costituiscono casi isolati, ma rappresentano una percentuale numerosa all'interno della popolazione infantile. Frutto della collaborazione tra i principali studiosi e clinici del settore, questo manuale ripercorre le tappe di sviluppo della comunicazione e del linguaggio, indicando i periodi critici e le scelte educative che possono favorirne l'acquisizione. Fornisce inoltre gli strumenti più efficaci per una corretta diagnosi e, soprattutto, i principi per il trattamento del Disturbo di linguaggio sia esso Primario oppure associato ad altri eventuali disturbi evolutivi. Dopo una prima panoramica dei più recenti sviluppi teorici sulla natura della comunicazione e del linguaggio, vengono affrontati il problema del Disturbo Primario del Linguaggio (DPL) e, successivamente, i temi della diagnosi e del trattamento e i diversi fattori e contesti in cui i disturb

Effects of surgical and FFP2 masks on vocal tract discomfort perception and on acoustic features of speech therapist's voice after a working day

BACKGROUND: Facial masks are a very effective barrier to control the spread of respiratory infectious diseases as the SAR S-CoV-2, but their prolonged use can adversely affect speech understanding and physiological vocal emission. Aim of this work was to analyze, through objective and subjective outcome measures, the impact that different types of facial masks (surgical and FFP2) have on the voice and on the perception of vocal discomfort, in a group of speech therapists. METHODS: Eleven female speech therapists were enrolled and assessed at the beginning and end of an 8-hour work shift during which they wore the surgical mask or the FFP2 mask. The main outcomes meauseres included: the maximum phonation time, acoustic analysis (F0, Jitter, shimmer, HT N ratio, mean-dB intensity, Fmin Hz, Fmax Hz) the Italian version of the Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale (I-VTD) and a self-assessment questionnaire specifically developed for this study. RESULTS: Most of the acoustic index values were significantly increased at the end of the working day, especially after wearing the FFP2 mask. Similarly, the mean total scores on the I-VTD Scale and the self-assessment questionnaire were significantly higher after wearing the FFP2 mask. Specifically, subjects complained of feeling of irritability, tightness, dryness, perception of burning, tickling/itching, vocal fatigue, altered voice, vocal tension and difficulty in pneumophonic coordination. CONCLUSIONS: Because of their composition and strong adherence to the face, FFP2 masks, used continuously for 8 hours, have a significantly worse impact than the surgical ones on both the voice and the perception of vocal discomfort