2011 Volume 25 Issue 6 Pages 600-603
(Objective) Postoperative aspiration pneumonia caused by miss-swallowing is a life-threating complication, especially in patients who undergo general thoracic surgery. In order to prevent postoperative aspiration pneumonia, the role of the swallowing support team (SST) has been examined for patients who underwent thoracic surgery. (Methods) We selected 39 cases out of 380 patients who underwent general thoracic surgery from April 2008 to August 2010. Thirty-nine cases fulfilled the following criteria, i) over 75 years old, ii) experiencing episodes of miss-swallowing in daily life, and iii) having an episode of cerebral infarction. (Results) Five patients were finally selected, who were treated with SST postoperatively. Two of the 5 cases improved on SST intervention, while the remaining 3 cases were not allowed oral intake. These 3 cases required enteral nutrition treatment. No postoperative pneumonia was present. (Conclusion) It is likely that SST intervention for groups at high-risk of miss-swallowing likely prevents life-threating postoperative aspiration pneumonia.
