Vented and Eating by mouth...

leishaurban · #1 08-03-2012, 12:31 PM

Does anybody have a child who is on a ventilator 24/7 but they can eat by mouth? Aaron's speech therapist wants to do a swallow test since he seems to be swallowing every time but I have to admit that it makes me nervous. It just seems with the added air pressure (internal peep 6; pres con 14; pres sup 14) he would have a higher chance of aspiration.

Leisha

kadiera · #2 08-03-2012, 12:52 PM

Alexander drank from a bottle quite well while vented; food was not his strong suit (dysphagia and sensory issues, not swallowing issues), but he did learn to eat cheerios while still on the vent.

Bethany is still trying to figure out sucking anything out of a bottle or a straw...but will happily eat baby food and freeze dried fruit. She's on pretty similar vent settings to your little one...Alexander was on higher settings.

kctwinmommy · #3 08-03-2012, 04:15 PM

Our daughter was trached at age 6, so she ate before then. She got her trach and became vented 24/7 after her 6th birthday. And honestly, it took her all of 1 day to get back to it when they let her. They were going to do the swallow study, with the x-ray and everything. But the ST's at the hospital said it wasn't needed based on what they could see her doing. Since she has so many x-rays in her life, we tried to avoid any extra ones.

She's never had a problem eating or talking over the vent. In fact, even with an inflated cuff on the trach, she can talk. It always amazes the doctors/nurses. Now, she's not trached cuz of an actual airway issue. Hers is a neurological condition that causes her to stop breathing.

So yes, kids can eat on the vent.

Corinne · #4 02-07-2013, 07:22 AM

My son Dylan can swallow with no problems and could eat on the vent if he wanted to. So the vent itself will not stop your little one from being able to eat.

He is 10 months. Right after his trach, at about 4 months, he showed a small amount of interest in sucking from a bottle but would never take significant amounts. So we switched at 6 months to rice cereal and he loved it... for two weeks. Then he stopped allowing us to put anything in his mouth. He holds his mouth closed when the spoon comes near. Sometimes I sneak the food in when he isn't paying attention and he swallows it no problem, but he will not voluntarily take bites.

Anyone have a magic food that works for kids who are reluctant to eat? He wants to do everything on his terms... so he will put stuff in his mouth but won't allow us to put stuff in his mouth (I heard from therapists that this is common with kids who endure a lot of poking/prodding from hospital stays plus all the suctioning with a trach). Teething biscuits/mum mums are things he can eat and control himself but once he tastes them he spits it out.