Profile of dysphagia after a stroke: an integrative review

Abstract

This article deals with dysphagia due to a cerebrovascular accident (CVA). The aim of the research was to identify the profi le of publications on dysphagia in patients suffering from stroke. It was an integrative review search that used the same descriptors in the electronic databases Medline, Lilacs and Scielo selecting 17 articles from 1998 to 2008. The data were analyzed from the categories corresponding to the approaches of found publications. The results show seventeen articles grouped into two categories that addressed the incidence and characteristics of dysphagia (9) and that discussed the complications of dysphagia (8). The publications in the fi rst category showed an incidence of dysphagia from 30% to 91% and indicate that the lesion size and location determine the severity of the dysphagia. The second category presents pneumonia and malnutrition as a consequence of dysphagia. The conclusion is that the nurse should guide the guidelines directed at limiting the effects of dysphagia after stroke and its complications for the patient.