Dysphagia diagnostics and solutions assistance is the subject of the day. If you think you may have dysphagia, there are certain symptoms that may be present along with difficulty swallowing. They include: drooling, a hoarse voice, feeling that something is lodged in the throat, regurgitation, unexpected weight loss, heartburn, coughing or choking when swallowing, pain when swallowing, difficulty chewing solid foods. These sensations may cause a person to avoid eating, skip meals, or lose their appetite. In severe cases, you may be admitted to the hospital and given food through a feeding tube. This special tube goes right into the stomach and bypasses the esophagus. Modified diets may also be necessary until the swallowing difficulty improves. This prevents dehydration and malnutrition.
Biofeedback incorporates the patient’s ability to sense changes and aids in the treatment of feeding or swallowing disorders. For example, patients with sufficient cognitive skills can be taught to interpret the visual information provided by these assessments (e.g., surface electromyography, ultrasound, FEES) and to make physiological changes during the swallowing process. Modifications to the texture of the food may be implemented to allow for safe oral intake. This may include changing the viscosity of liquids and/or softening, chopping, or pureeing solid foods. Modifications of the taste or temperature may also be employed to change the sensory input of the bolus. Clinicians consult with the patients and caregivers to identify patient preference and values for food when discussing modifications to oral intake. Consulting with the team, including a dietician, is also a relevant consideration when altering a diet to ensure that the patient’s nutritional needs continue to be met. Read more details on Swallowing problems.
Dysphagia means difficulty with chewing or swallowing food or liquid. The dysphagia diet covers 5 levels for difficulty in swallowing. To understand how this might happen, it is important to know something about how swallowing occurs. First, food must be chewed thoroughly. Then it is moved to the back of the mouth by tightening the cheek muscles and pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth. From this point on the process becomes automatic — it is a reflex that people do not actively control. In “rapid- fire” succession, the soft palate closes the nasal airway to prevent food from backing into it, the airway into the lungs is closed, and the esophagus (food pipe) relaxes allowing food and liquid to enter it. The muscular esophagus then contracts in a wave-like action, sweeping the food along into the stomach.
Dysphagia among hospitalized patients (particularly the elderly) not only lengthens hospital stays and increases the risk of dying, but also carries significant economic burdens. Research shows that hospital and rehab stays among patients with difficulty swallowing were almost double that of patients without dysphagia – with an estimated cost per year topping $547 billion (Altman K, et al., 2010). We would like to help reduce some of these costs by establishing programs or procedures for your facility that works best for your patients AND your team. See extra details at https://www.dysphagiainmotion.com/.
