Screening for Swallowing Problems in Patients Following Prolonged Intubation: Validation of the Toronto Bedside Swallowing Screening Test (TOR-BSST©)
Screening for Swallowing Problems in Patients Following Prolonged Intubation: Validation of the Toronto Bedside Swallowing Screening Test (TOR-BSST©)
Despite medical advances, half of the patients admitted to hospital for recovery from acute
 illness, injury or surgery have swallowing difficulties and those requiring tubes for
 breathing support are at even greater risk. Difficulties with swallowing decrease patients'
 quality of life, prolong their hospital stay, as well as lead to medical complications such
 as pneumonia, malnutrition and death. Presently, there is no screening test for swallowing
 difficulties in patients who have required respiratory support. Screening will allow for
 early detection of swallowing problems which is important to prevent serious complications,
 such as pneumonia. This research will determine the accuracy of a new screening test, the
 Toronto Bedside Swallowing Screening Test (TOR-BSST©) previously tested with stroke patients,
 to predict the presence of swallowing difficulties in patients who have required breathing
 support for longer than 48 hours. The investigators will enroll 100 patients from the
 intensive care medical surgical units at the University Health Network. The findings from
 this research will help identify those patients with swallowing problems earlier than it is
 currently possible. Once identified, at risk patients will be referred to a speech language
 pathologist swallowing expert for more comprehensive testing; thereby, decreasing their risk
 of experiencing serious complications, such as pneumonia, secondary to swallowing problems.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Adults 18+ years

 -  Inpatient at University Health Network, in any of the medical-surgical intensive care
 units, regardless of disease type, comorbidities or previous medical history

 -  Received endotracheal intubation lasting 48 hours or longer

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  History of one or more of the following: neurological disorder, surgery to the head or
 neck, previous oropharyngeal dysphagia, tracheotomy in situ or dementia