Friday, April 29
11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Medical
Session 11

Deanna Britton, PhD, CCC-SLP
Level of Instruction: Intermediate   –   Coronado II

An important objective in the assessment of swallowing includes an estimation of the individuals relative risk for development of aspiration pneumonia.  Owing to the multi-factorial complexity in individual risk for pneumonia, it is challenging for speech pathology clinicians to accurately estimate risk for development of aspiration pneumonia.  A solid understanding of human pulmonary defenses and measures of pulmonary function can aid clinical decision making in the context of dysphagia assessment.  A review of research and theory behind human pulmonary defenses will be provided, along with a basic tutorial in interpretation of selected measures of pulmonary function.  A solid understanding of human pulmonary defenses and measures of pulmonary function can aid clinical decision making in the context of dysphagia assessment.

Learner Outcomes:  At the completion of this presentation, participants will be able to describe pulmonary defense mechanisms, interpret selected measures of pulmonary function and understand how impairments of pulmonary defense mechanisms can contribute to risk for pneumonia.