Progression of swallowing dysfunction and associated complications of dysphagia in a cohort of patients with serial videofluoroscopic swallow examinations

A scoping review of the evidence for the use of screening tools in people with intellectual disabilities with dysphagia

BACKGROUND

Dysphagia can have serious health implications including choking and respiratory infection leading to poorer quality of life. People with intellectual disabilities are at higher risk of dysphagia related health complications and early death. Robust dysphagia screening tools are vital for this population.

METHOD

A scoping review and appraisal of the evidence for dysphagia and feeding screening tools for use with people with intellectual disabilities was undertaken.

RESULTS

Seven studies (using six screening tools) met the review inclusion criteria. Mostly studies were limited by no defined dysphagia criteria, no verification of tools with a gold reference standard (e.g., videofluoroscopic examination) and lack of participant diversity (small samples, narrow age range, severity of intellectual disability or limited settings).

CONCLUSIONS

There is urgent need for development and rigorous appraisal of existing dysphagia screening tools to meet the needs of a wider range of people with intellectual disabilities (particularly mild-to-moderate severity) and in wider settings.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation improves swallowing initiation in patients with post-stroke dysphagia

Objective

More than half of post-stroke patients develop dysphagia, which manifests as delayed swallowing and is associated with a high risk of aspiration. In this study, we aimed to investigate the immediate effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on swallowing initiation in post-stroke patients using videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) data.

Materials and methods

This randomized, self-controlled crossover study included 35 patients with post-stroke dysphagia. All selected patients received real and sham NMES while swallowing 5 ml of thin liquid. Participants completed the conditions in random order, with a 10-min interval between conditions. The primary evaluation indicators included the Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile-6 (MBSImp-6) and Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS). Secondary indicators included oral transit time (OTT), pharyngeal transit time (PTT), and laryngeal closure duration (LCD).

Results

Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile-6 (P = 0.008) and PAS (P < 0.001) scores were significantly lower in the Real-NMES condition than in the Sham-NMES condition. OTT (P < 0.001) was also significantly shorter during Real-NMES than during Sham-NMES. However, LCD (P = 0.225) and PTT (P = 0.161) did not significantly differ between the two conditions.

Conclusion

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation may represent a supplementary approach for promoting early feeding training in patients with post-stroke dysphagia.

Clinical trial registration

[https://clinicaltrials.gov/], identifier [ChiCTR2100052464].