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Dysphagia
Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tubes have increased in usage to provide patients with nutrition. However, PEG tubes have not shown to benefit patients with advanced dementia. PEGs have not shown to improve nutrition, improve survival, reduce pressure sore risk, reduce pneumonia rates, improve quality of life or reduce aspiration (Finucane T, Christmas C, &Travis, K.,… read more
What is VitalStim? VitalStim Therapy is a dysphagia treatment that uses Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation to the swallowing muscles. Current is applied to the neck region, with the expectation that muscle function during swallowing will be enhanced. The use of VitalStim is FDA approved and must be used in conjunction with convetional swallow exercises. You must… read more
The Speech Pathologist’s Role in to Improve Dehydration in the Elderly with Dysphagia Speech-Language Pathologists play an important role in improving dehydration in patients with dysphagia. Dysphagia can frequently lead to dehydration, especially in the elderly. Dehydration means that the body does not have as much fluids as it should. It can be caused by… read more
Treatment of Swallowing Disorders in Head and Neck Cancer THERAPY PROCEDURES FOR HEAD AND NECK CANCER Aspiration may be eliminated by the use of postures, maneuvers, and modifications to bolus size and consistency; however, until the swallow physiology can be improved, a patient will need to use these techniques consistently while eating in order to… read more
Swallowing Problems in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer Individuals with head and neck cancer may experience dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing. The extent of the dysphagia depends on the size and placement of the tumor, the type and nature of the treatment and any reconstruction. After radiation or chemotherapy, the swallowing problem may become worse… read more
There is still debate over the use of thickening agents to prevent aspiration and aspiration pneumonia. Some clinicians frequently use thickened liquids on all patients showing signs of aspiration, while other clinicians rarely use thickening agents. Thickened liquids DO prevent aspiration in SOME patients, but are certainly not for everyone with a swallowing disorder. Results from… read more
Neurological Control For the swallow response to occur, sensory and motor information are necessary. Sensory and motor control are from afferent and efferent systems. Sensory feedback comes from the trigeminal, facial and glossopharyngeal nerves to help initiate a swallow. Information about motor movement is received from the muscle spindles in the tongue via the hypoglossal… read more
Laryngopharyngeal reflux is caused by a backflow of acid into your esophagus and into your throat and voice box. It is important for medical speech pathologists to understand symptoms and treatment of LPR.
Dysphagia Compensations Postural techniques Head back: What- Patient places head backward When- Fluroscopy shows inefficient oral transit (reduced posterior propulsion of bolus by tongue) but good airway protection Rationale- Uses gravity to clear the oral cavity from the bolus Chin down posture: What- Touching the chin to the neck When- Try this technique when fluroscopy… read more
