Patient-controlled positive end-expiratory pressure with neuromuscular disease: effect on speech in patients with tracheostomy and mechanical ventilation support

OBJECTIVE

Communication is a major issue for patients with tracheostomy who are supported by mechanical ventilation. The use of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) may restore speech during expiration; however, the optimal PEEP level for speech may vary individually. We aimed to improve speech quality with an individually adjusted PEEP level delivered under the patient's control to ensure optimal respiratory comfort.

METHODS

Optimal PEEP level (PEEPeff), defined as the PEEP level that allows complete expiration through the upper airways, was determined for 12 patients with neuromuscular disease who are supported by mechanical ventilation. Speech and respiratory parameters were studied without PEEP, with PEEPeff, and for an intermediate PEEP level. Flow and airway pressure were measured. Microphone speech recordings were subjected to both quantitative and qualitative assessments of speech, including an intelligibility score, a perceptual score, and an evaluation of prosody determined by two speech therapists blinded to PEEP condition.

RESULTS

Text reading time, phonation flow, use of the respiratory cycle for phonation, and speech comfort significantly improved with increasing PEEP, whereas qualitative parameters remained unchanged. This resulted mostly from the increase of the expiratory volume through the upper airways available for speech for all patients combined, with a rise in respiratory rate for nine patients. Respiratory comfort remained stable despite high levels of PEEPeff (median, 10.0 cm H2O; interquartile range, 9.5-12.0 cm H₂O).

CONCLUSIONS

Patient-controlled PEEP allowed for the use of high levels of PEEP with good respiratory tolerance and significant improvement in speech (enabling phonation during the entire respiratory cycle in most patients). The device studied could be implemented in home ventilators to improve speech and, therefore, autonomy of patients with tracheostomy.

TRIAL REGISTRY

ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT01479959; URL: clinicaltrials.gov.

Communicating with individuals receiving home mechanical ventilation: the experiences of key communication partners

PURPOSE

The aim of the study was to explore the communication experiences of key communications partners (CPs) of individuals receiving home mechanical ventilation (HMV), with particular emphasis on the possibilities, difficulties and limitations CPs experienced in communication, possible support given to facilitate communication and exploring what made a skilled communicator.

METHOD

A qualitative research design using interviews was used. The participants included 19 key CPs of individuals receiving HMV.

RESULTS

The analysis resulted in five themes: Encountering communication limitations, Functional communication strategies, Being a communication facilitator, Role insecurity and Emotional reactions and coping. The findings revealed that CPs needed to develop partly new reference frames for communication. In particular, participants emphasised the need to understand and interpret subtle details in the communicative interaction.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings are discussed in the light of previous research, in particular an earlier study exploring another perspective; the ventilator-supported individuals' experiences of communication. Issues relating to the educational needs of CPs of individuals receiving HMV are discussed. The results are intended to enhance understanding of the challenges that individuals receiving HMV and their CPs face with communication, which should be of relevance not only to speech therapists, but for all healthcare practitioners in the field of HMV.

Communication experience of individuals treated with home mechanical ventilation

BACKGROUND

Mechanical ventilatory support seriously affects speaking and communication, and earlier studies show that many ventilator-supported patients experience difficulties and frustration with their speech and voice production. Since there is a growing number of individuals who require mechanical ventilatory support and there is a paucity of studies that examine ventilator-supported communication, this research area needs to be developed to ensure adequate health services for this population. The present study focused on ventilator-supported communication from the point of view of individuals receiving home mechanical ventilation (HMV).

AIMS

The specific aim was to examine the communication experience of individuals receiving HMV.

METHODS & PROCEDURES

A qualitative approach was adopted for this study, and data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews. Qualitative content analysis was used to structure, condense and interpret the data. The participants were recruited from the National Respiratory Centre (NRC) in Sweden, and included 19 individuals receiving HMV.

OUTCOMES & RESULTS

The main theme A long and lonely struggle to find a voice and six subthemes detailing different facets of it emerged from data analysis: Managing changed speech conditions, Prioritising voice, A third party supporting communication, Using communication to get things done, Depending on technology, and Facing ignorance. Important aspects influencing the ventilator-supported individuals' communicative performance (speech, support from others and technological solutions) are discussed.

CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS

The study revealed that healthcare practitioners involved in the care of individuals receiving HMV need to improve their understanding and knowledge of issues related to ventilator-supported communication. Individuals receiving HMV encounter a needlessly long and lonely struggle to achieve effective communication. They face numerous challenges regarding their communication, and they need to be heard in both literal and figurative senses. To overcome these challenges they need support from competent healthcare practitioners and personal assistants, and continuous follow-up by speech and language therapists tailoring communicative solutions to fit individual needs.