Biomechanical mechanism of reduced aspiration by the Passy-Muir valve in tracheostomized patients following acquired brain injury: Evidences from subglottic pressure.

Objective: Aspiration is a common complication after tracheostomy in patients with acquired brain injury (ABI), resulting from impaired swallowing function, and which may lead to aspiration pneumonia. The Passy-Muir Tracheostomy and Ventilator Swallowing and Speaking Valve (PMV) has been used to enable voice and reduce aspiration; however, its mechanism is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of PMV intervention on the prevention of aspiration.

Methods: A randomized, single-blinded, controlled study was designed in which 20 tracheostomized patients with aspiration following ABI were recruited and randomized into the PMV intervention and non-PMV intervention groups. Before and after the intervention, swallowing biomechanical characteristics were examined using video fluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) and high-resolution manometry (HRM). A three-dimensional (3D) upper airway anatomical reconstruction was made based on computed tomography scan data, followed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation analysis to detect subglottic pressure.

Results: The results showed that compared with the non-PMV intervention group, the velopharynx maximal pressure (VP-Max) and upper esophageal sphincter relaxation duration (UES-RD) increased significantly ( < 0.05), while the Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS) score decreased in the PMV intervention group ( < 0.05). Additionally, the subglottic pressure was successfully detected by CFD simulation analysis, and increased significantly after 2 weeks in the PMV intervention group compared to the non-PMV intervention group ( < 0.001), indicating that the subglottic pressure could be remodeled through PMV intervention.

Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that PMV could improve VP-Max, UES-RD, and reduce aspiration in tracheostomized patients, and the putative mechanism may involve the subglottic pressure.

Clinical Trial Registration: [http://www.chictr.org.cn], identifier [ChiCTR1800018686].