Dysphagia

Pill dysphagia is a common problem amongst older adults, with significant health consequences. Previous research has found that dysphagia can negatively affect an individuals mental health and wellbeing. However, this research has not been extended to pill-specific dysphagia, which presents distinct differences from the challenges posed by swallowing food and liquids. These differences extend to causes, demographics, and physical health ramifications. This study aimed to address this gap in the literature by investigating the effects of pill dysphagia on the wellbeing of older adults...

The author has provided an alternative biofeedback method to help maintain the effortful swallowing (ES) maneuver target effort to utilize a constantly high swallowing pressure. The author has identified ES with visual feedback (i.e. the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI)) produced higher EMG activation levels than without. However, the author accepted higher activation levels as higher muscle force production, attributed the lower EMG activation levels in 4th set to fatigue, and did not consider other possibilities...

Texture modification in the form of gels or jellies is used for patients with dysphagia. For over 20 years, our group has been using gelatin jellies, a type of gel, as a starting diet for patients with dysphagia. Gelatin jellies are served in a small-sliced form and swallowed whole. In sliced jelly whole swallowing (SJWS), sliced gelatin jelly (SGJ) passes through the pharynx in one lump without collapsing. This study aimed to examine the usefulness of SJWS. We analyzed the images of videofluoroscopic swallowing studies performed using the normalized residue ratio scale (NRRSv: vallecula, NRRSp: pyriform sinus), the penetration-aspiration scale (PAS), and pharyngeal transit time (PTT) in 50 patients with dysphagia and compared the results in a prospective study...

Patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are infrequently nourished via oral feeding due to aspiration risks. Patients with COVID-19 and on ECMO represent a subpopulation that has additional factors that may affect their swallow function. This study aimed to describe the swallow function and ability to maintain oral feeding in patients with COVID-19 while on ECMO. A retrospective study of patients with COVID-19 who started veno-venous ECMO at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 and August 2020) was conducted at a tertiary care hospital...

Dysphagia is one of the most common symptoms of stroke and can lead to other complications such as pneumonia, dehydration, and malnutrition. This retrospective cohort study evaluated the predictive value of a comprehensive swallowing assessment tool, the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MASA), in the acute phase of stroke for oral intake status at discharge. Among 1,133 consecutive patients with acute stroke, 512 patients whose swallowing function was assessed using the MASA within 24 h of admission were included...

The aims of this exploratory study and clinical phase II trial were to assess the specific nature and extent of dysphagia in laryngectomized patients with self-reported dysphagia, and its rehabilitation potential using the novel Swallowing Exercise Aid (SEA 2.0). Twenty laryngectomized patients participated in a six-week exercise program with the SEA 2.0. Exercises consisted of Chin Tuck Against Resistance (CTAR), Jaw Opening Against Resistance (JOAR), and Effortful Swallow Against Resistance, conducted three times per day...

OBJECTIVE: This review evaluates the efficacy and safety of dysphagia interventions for patients with prolonged endotracheal intubation (⩾48 h) in critical care units. DATA SOURCES: We systematically searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Medline, Embase, OVID, CINAHL, Wanfang (China), CNKI (China), and ProQuest Dissertations for studies published up to December 31, 2023. STUDY SELECTION: Inclusion criteria encompassed randomized controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-randomized trials, and cohort studies comparing dysphagia rehabilitation - such as swallowing stimulation, swallowing and respiratory muscle exercise, and neuromuscular electrical stimulation - with standard care or no treatment...

Currently, no objective method exists to measure the extent of fibrosis in swallowing musculature in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients. We developed and psychometrically tested a method of quantifying fibrosis volume using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The overall aim of this study was to determine if clinical MRI is a reliable tool to measure fibrosis of the pharyngeal musculature in patients with HNC managed with RT and to assess its potential to capture changes in fibrosis over time. Eligible participants were adults with HNC treated with radiation therapy (RT) who received minimally two MRIs and videofluoroscopic swallow (VFS) studies from baseline (pre-RT) up to 1-year post-RT...

The objective of this systematic review was to determine the prevalence of dysphagia and aspiration in people with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). A search of six electronic databases was performed from inception to April 2022. No context restrictions were set. All primary research comprising figures to derive a prevalence rate were included. Two independent reviewers screened search results. Data were extracted by one reviewer. Conflicts were resolved by discussion with a third reviewer. The quality of included studies was assessed using the JBI Checklist for Prevalence Studies...

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To review the assessment methods of dysphagia as a criterion for the decision-making process for Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) placement in patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Systematic review. A search was conducted in three databases (EMBASE, CINAHL, PUBMED) in December 2022 and updated in July 2023. Two reviewers independently screened, selected, and extracted data. Study quality was appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tools. Systematic review registration number in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO): CRD42022385461...

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, with hallmark symptomology typically consisting of tremor, bradykinesia, and rigidity. Though the classic "pill-rolling" rest tremor in the hand or upper limb are often the most salient, it can occur throughout the body including the lower limbs, jaw, face, or tongue. There have been investigations into other motor related phenomena potentially affecting swallow function in PwPD previously. However, there have been no investigations of how oropharyngeal resting tremor in structures such as the tongue or larynx explicitly affects swallowing physiology...

Mastication is controlled by central pattern generator in the brainstem and can be modulated by volition. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of chewing well on swallowing. Twenty-six healthy participants were instructed to eat 8, 12, and/or 16 g of steamed rice with barium sulphate under the following two conditions: chewing freely task (CF; chewing naturally in their usual manner) and chewing well task (CW; chewing the food with a request to "chew well"). We evaluated bolus transport and swallowing movement using videofluoroscopy and electromyography of the masseter, suprahyoid and thyrohyoid muscles...

Feeding/swallowing and airway protection are complex functions, essential for survival, and continue to evolve throughout the lifetime. Medical and surgical advances across the globe have improved the long-term survival of medically complex children at the cost of increasing comorbidities, including dysfunctional swallowing (dysphagia). Dysphagia is prominent in children with histories of preterm birth, neurologic and neuromuscular diagnoses, developmental delays, and aerodigestive disorders; and is associated with medical, health, and neurodevelopmental problems; and long-term socioeconomic, caregiver, health system, and social burdens...

Dysphagia or swallowing dysfunction is associated with reduced quality of life and poor long term outcomes. While standard dysphagia treatment focuses on improving swallowing function, it is not clear if people with dysphagia also have difficulties performing daily tasks. This study aimed to determine if individuals with dysphagia had difficulties with participating in daily tasks requiring physical function, as compared to those with no dysphagia. We conducted a secondary data analysis using the responses of 24,107 adults aged 18 years or older who completed the 2022 National Health Interview Survey...

People with Intellectual Disability (ID) were more likely to contract COVID-19 infection and more likely to die from the consequences. However, there is no evidence on the long-term impact of COVID-19 infection in people with ID. Post-Covid Syndrome (PCS) is an established diagnosis that requires specialist clinical support. To date there is no data on how common PCS is in people with ID, or how symptoms present. Dysphagia is identified as a clinical marker because of the known association with PCS, and the clear objective diagnostic criteria applicable through specialist assessment...

The majority of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) develop swallowing, speech, and voice (SSV) disorders. Importantly, swallowing difficulty or dysphagia and related aspiration are life-threatening conditions for PD patients. Although PD treatments have significant therapeutic effects on limb motor function, their effects on SSV disorders are less impressive. A large gap in our knowledge is that the mechanisms of SSV disorders in PD are poorly understood. PD was long considered to be a central nervous system disorder caused by the death of dopaminergic neurons in the basal ganglia...

Patients with pseudobulbar palsy often present with velopharyngeal incompetence. Velopharyngeal incompetence is usually observed during expiratory activities such as speech and/or blowing during laryngoscopy. These patients typically exhibit good velopharyngeal closure during swallowing, which is dissociated from expiratory activities. We named this phenomenon "speech-swallow dissociation" (SSD). SSD on endoscopic findings can help in diagnosing the underlying disease causing dysphagia. This endoscopic finding is qualitative, and the quantitative characteristics of SSD are still unclear...

Aging affects the tongue and suprahyoid muscles, causing dysphagia and undernutrition. We hypothesized that tongue function would affect submental superficial layer hardness. Tongue movements during water retention between the tongue and palate are the same as those required during bolus formation, involving internal and external tongue muscle movement. In 28 healthy adults (14 males, 14 females, average age 28.7 ± 2.9 years), we measured the submental superficial layer characteristics (frequency [tension], stiffness, decrement [inverse of resilience], relaxation, and creep [deformation over time]) using a simple tissue durometer (MyotonPRO® ), and examined their relationship with maximum voluntary tongue pressure...

The suprahyoid muscles play an important role in protecting the airway by elevating both the hyoid bone and larynx superior-anteriorly during swallowing. However, providing systematic external resistance when performing exercises to improve suprahyoid muscle strength is practically difficult. This study attempted to confirm whether systematic resistance can be provided to the suprahyoid muscles using the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI)-a representative tongue pressure measurement device. Thirty-one healthy adults participated in this study (20...