What factors are associated with an increased risk of aspiration in patients who fail dysphagia screening?
Patients who fail dysphagia screening are more likely to be older, have a higher rate of multiple comorbidities (including prior stroke and dementia), more often come from a long-term care facility, more often present with weakness and speech deficits, have a lower level of consciousness, and have a higher stroke severity. Patients who fail dysphagia screening are also more likely to develop pneumonia (13.1% versus 1.9%), to have more severe disability (52.4% versus 18.0%), and to be discharged to a long-term care institution (14.0% versus 4.3%).