Facilitating Safe Swallowing

KEY MESSAGES

• Strategies to help prevent distress should be applied.
• Management following identification of dysphagia should involve an interdisciplinary team approach.
• The goal of dysphagia intervention is to facilitate oral intake while minimizing risk of airway compromise. Any observation of indicators that a child is at risk or may be aspirating should be referred for further clinical assessment.
• It is recommended that the child’s current feeding and swallowing skills be reviewed at the time of any significant change to their health, development, medical status, or after airway surgery.
• It is recommended that the child’s swallowing abilities be reviewed following extubation of oral endotracheal intubation of over 24 hours.
• A pharmacist should be consulted for a medication review to consider risk of aspiration for optimal delivery of medications inclusive of feeding method (e.g. oral or enteral feeding) and formulations.