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Clinical use of a neck brace to improve hands‐free speech in laryngectomized patients
Author(s) -
Dirven Richard,
Kooijman Piet G. C.,
Wouters Yannick,
Marres Henri A. M.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1002/lary.23299
Subject(s) - medicine , laryngectomy , brace , randomized controlled trial , surgery , physical therapy , larynx , mechanical engineering , engineering
Objectives/Hypothesis: Time of adherence of adhesive baseplate housings to the neck of a laryngectomized patient is one of the main problems that account for the low number of laryngectomy patients who benefit from hands‐free speech. An external neck brace (ENB 1.0) was introduced to support peristomal fixation of adhesive baseplates. Study Design: A prospective randomized controlled clinical cross‐over trial. Methods: A total of 28 laryngectomy patients participated in this randomized, prospective, crossover trial. All used the Provox hands‐free heat and moisture exchanger (HME) valve for 1 month: 2 weeks with an ENB and 2 weeks without. Results: The median lifetime of an adhesive baseplate without a brace was 52.5 minutes versus 210 minutes with a brace ( P = .03). Four participants considered the ENB as “a little” bit of a welcome addition, nine as “quite a bit,” and six as “very much” (79%) to improve hands‐free speech. Conclusions: The ENB significantly increases the lifetime of an adhesive baseplate and therefore contributes to achieving hands‐free speech for a greater number of patients with laryngectomy. Laryngoscope, 2012