Determining Peak Cough Flow Cutoff Values to Predict Aspiration Pneumonia Among Patients With Dysphagia Using the Citric Acid Reflexive Cough Test

To investigate the clinical usefulness of the peak cough flow generated during the citric acid reflexive cough test (0.28 mol/L) by determining the appropriate cutoff values that could accurately predict aspiration pneumonia within the first 6 months after onset. Retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database. University-affiliated hospital. Patients (N=163) with first-ever diagnosed dysphagia attributable to cerebrovascular disease, who had undergone the citric acid reflexive cough test on the same day they underwent the instrumental assessment of swallowing, such as videofluoroscopy or the functional endoscopic swallowing test. Not applicable. Peak cough flow (L/min) from the citric acid reflexive cough test. A final 163 patients had full medical records with 6-month follow-up. Receiver operating curve analysis showed that peak cough flow cutoff values set at 59 L/min were significantly associated with aspiration pneumonia (area under the curve [AUC] 95% confidence interval =0.88 [0.83-0.93]). This cutoff value significantly (P