SPEECH PRODUCTION DURING MECHANICAL VENTILATION IN TRACHEOSTOMIZED INDIVIDUALS

This investigation provides the first detailed description of speech p roduction during mechanical ventilation. Seven adults with tracheostom ies served as subjects. Recordings were made of chest wall motions, ne ck muscle activity, tracheal pressure, air flow at the nose and mouth, estimated blood-gas levels, and the acoustic speech signal during per formance of a variety of speech tasks. Results indicated that subjects spoke for short durations that spanned all phases of the ventilator c ycle, altered laryngeal opposing pressures in response to the continua lly changing tracheal pressure wave, and expended relatively small vol umes of gas for speech production. Speech was improved by making selec ted ventilator adjustments. Suggestions for clinical interventions are offered.