Dysphagia, Communication, and the Challenges of Life in the ICU

Life in the intensive care unit can be overwhelming. Patients may be intubated, disoriented, and scared. Families may be looking for answers from any provider who enters the room. For SLPs, the environment is noisy and ever-changing, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.On the podcast, SLPs take us behind the scenes to share stories from the ICU. In a wide-ranging discussion, they tackle the significant role SLPs play in managing dysphagia and communication there.From the recent history that led SLPs to begin working in the ICU, to the SLP’s biggest ally in that environment, to what can happen to patients when they’re discharged, guests Marty Brodsky (Cleveland Clinic; Johns Hopkins) and Marta Kazandjian (Stony Brook Southampton Hospital; Stony Brook School of Health Professions) share their insights and expertise.Learn More:ASHA Health Care Summit 2025: Grand Rounds in the ICUASHA Voices: The Difference Patient Counseling MakesWheeling AAC Support for Aphasia Into the ICUASHA Practice Portal: Tracheostomy and Ventilator DependenceTranscriptSupport for this episode of ASHA Voices comes from Medbridge.