Swallowing language and discharge post-thrombectomy (D’Netto et al., 2025)

<b>Purpose: </b>This study aimed to describe the incidence of aphasia, high-level language impairment, and swallowing impairment in patients post-stroke treated with mechanical thrombectomy (MT) and to identify predictors of impairment and discharge destination.<b>Method: </b>This retrospective study examined impairments diagnosed by a speech-language pathologist in patients post-MT during their admission to the acute stroke unit. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the independent predictors of impairments and discharge to inpatient rehabilitation.<b>Results:</b> Language impairment was present in 66.4% (<i>n</i> = 249/375; <i>n</i> = 133 aphasia and <i>n</i> = 116 high-level impairment) and swallowing impairment in 59.1% (<i>n</i> = 238/403) of the patients. National Institute of Health Stroke Scale scores 24-hr post-MT were predictive of language (odds ratio [<i>OR</i>] = 1.09, 95% confidence interval [CI; 1.02, 1.16], <i>p</i> = .011) and swallowing (<i>OR</i> = 1.41, 95% CI [1.26, 1.58], <i>p</i> &lt; .001) impairments. The occlusion site and medical complications post-MT were independently predictive of language and swallowing impairments, respectively. Diagnosed language impairment was a strong predictor of discharge for inpatient rehabilitation (<i>OR</i> = 4.77, 95% CI [1.60, 14.22], <i>p</i> = .005).<b>Conclusions:</b> Swallowing and language impairments, such as aphasia or high-level impairment, in isolation and in combination with other demographic and clinical variables, significantly influence the discharge trajectory of patients acutely post-MT. This information is vital for clinicians who need to prognosticate and plan rehabilitative care.<b>Supplemental Material S1.</b> The modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction Score.<b>Supplemental Material S2.</b> Frequency of comorbid risk factors of stroke.<b>Supplemental Material S3.</b> Kruskal-Wallis comparison of discharge destination from acute stroke unit.<b>Supplemental Material S4.</b> Pairwise comparisons for each combination of discharge destinations.D’Netto, P., Finch, E., Rumbach, A., &amp; Copland, D. A. (2025). Influence of swallowing function, aphasia and high-level language impairment on discharge destination acutely post-thrombectomy. <i>Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research,</i><i> </i><i>68</i>(10), 4607–4618. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_JSLHR-24-00866