Placa de averiguação dos fluxos expiratórios nasal e oral – PAFENO

Abstract

Within the phonoaudiological clinical practice there is a diversity of instruments to evaluate the expiratory flow, among them the Glatzel plate and the Altman mirror that are able to express the nasal permeability, having as basic difference between them the presence of milimetration in the mirror. An evolution of these equipments was identified in the oronasal check card proposed by Susanibar, which includes function similar to the others, but besides capturing the nasal fluidity it is able to print the oral fluency, considering its 90 ° folded plate configuration. Considering the importance of the instrumental use in a practical way to verify the oronasal aeration in the clinic, the inspiration for the preparation of PAFENO appeared, based on the model proposed by Susanibar. This study aims at describing the preparation of PAFENO and its use, in order to encourage its use in clinical speech and language therapy, both for evaluation purposes and for therapeutic biofeedback strategy. The instrument was made with very low costs since the main raw material is a polished polycarbonate board, 1 mm thick, measuring 10cm wide, 20cm long and 10cm high, initially flat and rectangular, then folded in a angle of 90 °, gives the presence of milimetry on their faces, and easy hygienization with the use of gauze pad soaked with chemical germicide. To use the instrument it is necessary to follow some simple and quick application steps. Despite not being systematically tested, PAFENO showed an excellent ability to shade the oral and nasal flows in the face of the condensation of the water particles contained in the expiratory air, responses to the end proposed to it. It is hoped that this alternative will aid in clinical speech-language practice by promoting dexterity and ease in the visualization of the markings and providing an accessible instrument for evaluation and therapeutic biofeedback.