Characterization of Speech Therapy Intervention in Children with Acute Viral Bronchiolitis Who Needed Ventilatory Support

Introduction: Acute viral bronchiolitis is characterized by being the first episode of lower airway disease in children under 1 year old and it has as primordial feature the increase of the respiratory rate. Among the respiratory impairments brought, many children end up needing mechanical ventilation and an alternative way of nourishment. Objectives: To characterize the speech therapy intervention on children with acute viral bronchiolitis who needed ventilatory support. Methods: Retrospective study, transversal, on which were evaluated 24 medical records of children with acute viral bronchiolitis at a children hospital, from March to December 2013. Results: Of the 24 children, 54.16% needed mechanical ventilation, 61.53% received speech therapy intervention with sensory-motor-oral stimulation. From the total of patients that used of mechanical ventilation, 46.15% were discharged with exclusive oral feeding, of those, 50% were sensory-motor-oral estimulated. Conclusion: With this abstract, we conclude that speech therapy intervention on the cases of acute viral bronchiolitis with use of mechanical ventilation is important to the reinstatement of the oral via as a feeding way, due to respiratory consequences the pathologic profile and mechanical ventilation time can offer to the patient. From this study, intervention ways should be studied in order to intervene on people with compromised respiratory system, in the search of the reinstatement of the safest and efficient feeding way. Keywords: Viral, acute, bronchiolitis, respiratory, speech-language science.