[Dysphagia] swallow assessment post extubation

[PUbben at stez.org (Ubben, Polly)]

I am looking for information about timing swallowing assessment post extubation.  We have a 250 bed acute care hospital with a CCU and Burn unit-we have really struggled with physicians trying to feed people right after extubation and, in our experience assessing these patients, many of them are still adjusting to weaning from the vent, clearing their own secretions and having the stamina to sit up...we've used our own guideline of assessment and continued NPO for 24-48 hrs post extubation...we feel it's important to be sure the patient is stable from a respiratory standpoint before trying a bunch of P.O.  Many of the patients will actually end up reintubated in the first 24 hrs post trying extubation...
Does anyone have any protocol they follow or know of research supporting our informal findings?

Polly Ubben, M.A., CCC-SLP
Speech Pathology Coordinator
Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center
555 South 70th Street
Lincoln, NE
68510   Ph. (402)219-8745  Fax (402)219-7327 

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