OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the swallowing function on tracheostomized patients on mechanical ventilation (MV), after heart surgery. CASE REPORT: 10 medical records has been analysed, being 5 male and 5 female, with age around 53 years. 80% of them (8) were submitted to mitral valve replacement, and the other 20% (2) were submitted to aortic aneurysm correction. All patients has shown prolonged OTI, being tracheostomized and MV dependants. The estructural evaluation of the oral motor sensory system (OMSS) has been performed as well as the functional evaluation on MV with mÃnimal parameters. 5, 10 and 20 ml of pasty, thickened liquid and non-thickened liquid has been offered. There has been reported: oral uptake, oral motor control, oral transit time, triggering of the swallowing reflex, stasis and laryngeal elevation. Finally, there was performed the tracheal suctioning. 70% of the sample (7) presented normal swallow with pasty diet and non-thickened liquid on MV. 30% (3) presented moderated dysphagia for all consistencies. Among those patients, 33,4% shown variations on tongue strenght and ejection, and 66,6% had prejudiced laryngeal elevation. In dysphagic pacients the nasoenteric tube was maintained while starting the direct and indirect therapy. CONCLUSION: The process of evaluating patients on MV demands precaution, for there might occur glottal closure incoordination during the swallow. However, some of the patients on MV doesn't show any OMSS alteration and aren't dysphagics, wich allows diet prescription and grants life quality improvement for the patient hospitalized in the ICU.
