Abstract

Introduction: Dysphagia is a common complication following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Early detection and treatment of dysphagia are essential. Swallowing exercises combined with neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) are used in TBI patients with dysphagia. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of swallowing exercises combined with NMES in patients with dysphagia due to TBI.

Methods: This study is a pre- and post-intervention study on a series of first-time TBI cases with dysphagia. A total of 30 TBI patients with dysphagia were randomly selected. The patient group received treatment with swallowing exercises combined with NMES for 15 days. Demographic characteristics, time since TBI, incidence of post-TBI pneumonia, clinical symptoms of dysphagia, and GUSS scores were recorded on day 1 and day 15 post-treatment.

Results: After the intervention period, the clinical symptoms of dysphagia in the patient group showed significant improvement, with a decrease in the percentage of dysphagia symptoms after 15 days. Before treatment, patients presented moderate (46.7%) to mild dysphagia (53.3%), with no patients experiencing severe dysphagia. Following treatment, the levels of dysphagia and risk of aspiration decreased, reflected by moderate dysphagia at 33.3% and mild dysphagia at 40%.

Conclusion: Swallowing exercises combined with NMES are a safe and effective treatment method for patients with dysphagia following traumatic brain injury.