Beds with angle indicators and head lift function contribute to appropriate angles during eating and a low prevalence of pharyngeal residue

We aimed to verify whether using beds with backrest angle indicators and head-lift functions (functional beds) increased agreement from recommended angles and decreased the prevalence of pharyngeal residue during eating in patients with dysphagia. Two groups were compared in this cross-sectional observational study; one used a functional bed, whereas the other did not use a functional bed (standard beds). The degree of agreement between the recommended angle and angle measured during eating, as well as the prevalence of pharyngeal residues, were compared between the two groups. The study included 48 patients, 25 and 23 of whom were in the functional and standard bed groups, respectively. The agreement between the recommended angle and the angle during eating in the functional and standard bed groups was 14 (56.0%) and 2 (8.7%), respectively. It was significantly higher in the functional bed group (p < 0.01). Pharyngeal residues were present in 6 (24.0%) and 13 (56.5%) patients in the functional and standard bed groups, respectively, significantly lower in the former (p = 0.045). These results suggested that the prevalence of pharyngeal residue decreased with the use of a functional bed because the angle of the bed during eating was consistent with the recommended angle.