P573 - THE EFFECT OF SPEECH VALVE USE ON NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN TRACHEOSTOMY TUBE INSERTED PATIENTS WITHOUT SWALLOWING DISORDERS

P573

THE EFFECT OF SPEECH VALVE USE ON NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN TRACHEOSTOMY TUBE INSERTED PATIENTS WITHOUT SWALLOWING DISORDERS

H. P. -^1,*, B. M. -², M. N. E. -²

¹Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation , İstinye University,, ²Department of Speech and Language Therapy, İstanbul Atlas University, İstanbul, Türkiye

Rationale: In this study, patients with tracheostomy were divided into two groups, those who used a speech valve and those who did not, and the changes in nutritional status and quality of life before and after decannulation were evaluated comparatively.

Methods: A total of 30 patients with preserved swallowing function who were followed up in the adult intensive care unit were included in the study. The group using speech valves (n=15) was randomly assigned to participants with a mean age of 42.8 ± 8.7 years.  The mean age of the control group (n=15) who did not use a speech valve was 43.5 ± 9.5 years. All participants were evaluated at two different times, one week after speech valve application and one week after decannulation. The Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002), which has been validated for the adult patient population, was used to assess nutritional status. Quality of life assessment was performed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale - Short Form Turkish Version (WHOQOL-BREF-TR). 

Results: Significant improvements were observed in both nutritional status and quality of life scores after decannulation in both groups. However, these improvements were more pronounced in the group using a speech valve. According to the NRS-2002 scores, the transition to oral intake occurred earlier and more effectively in patients using a speech valve, which had a significant positive effect on their nutritional status (p<0.01)   

Conclusion: The use of a speech valve in adult intensive care unit patients with a tracheostomy tube and no swallowing disorder is an important supportive factor in improving both nutritional status and quality of life. Evaluation of speech valve use in appropriate patients during the decannulation process may contribute to the support of not only clinical parameters but also psychosocial well-being of patients. 

Disclosure of Interest: None declared