Swallowing Disorders as a Predictor of Unsuccessful Extubation: A Clinical Evaluation

Background Unsuccessful extubation may be due to swallowing dysfunction that causes airway obstruction and impairs patients’ ability to cough and expectorate. Objective To determine whether swallowing assessment before extubation is helpful in predicting unsuccessful extubation due to airway secretions. Methods This prospective study included all patients intubated orotracheally for more than 6 days. Before extubation, 3 tests designed to assess...