DecaPreT

The decannulation prediction tool (DecaPreT) is a prognostic tool developed to predict the probability of pre-discharge decannulation in patients who underwent tracheostomy because of dysphagia after acute brain injury. It was developed and validated by Reverberi et al. in a post-acute rehabilitation setting (Reverberi et al., 2018). It includes only clinical variables, that can be detected at the bedside by an expert speech therapist. Voluntary cough should be evaluated by asking the patient to cough or to clear throat. Reflex cough should be evaluated during bronchoaspiration or during execution of the blu dye test, at different times of the day and in different postures (Garuti et al., 2014). Saliva aspiration should be evaluated with the blue dye test (Garuti et al., 2014; Béchet et al., 2016). References Reverberi C, Lombardi F, Lusuardi M, Pratesi A, Di Bari M. Development of the Decannulation Prediction Tool in patients with dysphagia after acquired brain injury. JAMDA 2018; [Epub ahead of print]