Mapping Dysphagia Research Trends in Community Dwelling Older Adults: A Bibliometric Analysis

Background

In recent years, research on dysphagia has gained significant traction as one of the key topics of oral health research pertaining to the aged. Numerous academics have studied dysphagia in great detail and have produced numerous excellent scientific research findings.

Objective

To review the literature regarding dysphagia in community-dwelling older adults and identify the knowledge and trends using bibliometric methods.

Methods

The literature on dysphagia in older adults in the community was gathered from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), with inclusion criteria specifying English-language publications. The retrieval deadline was November 28, 2022. We extracted the following data: title, year, abstract, author, keywords, institution, and cited literature, and used CiteSpace (version 6.1.R3) to visualize the data through the knowledge map, burst keyword analysis, cluster analysis, and collaborative network analysis.

Results

A total of 979 articles and reviews were retrieved. Regarding productivity, the top 2 countries were the United States (n =239) and Japan (n =236). Hidetaka Wakabayashi (n =26) was one of the most prolific writers. The first paper in the frequency ranking of references cited was a white paper: European Society for Swallowing Disorders and European Union Geriatric Medicine Society white paper: oropharyngeal dysphagia as a geriatric syndrome (n =53). "Prevalence" (n =173), "risk factor" (n =119), and "aspiration pneumonia" (n =108) were the most frequently occurring keywords (excluding defining nouns). The study identified reliability, tongue pressure, home discharge, and swallowing function as research hotspots from 2020 to 2022.

Conclusion

Prevalence, risk factors, and pneumonia are significant areas of study. Tongue pressure and sarcopenia are research hotspots and potential targets. In the future, research on dysphagia needs to refine strategies for prevention and control, as well as provide tertiary preventative services.

A Systematic and Universal Artificial Intelligence Screening Method for Oropharyngeal Dysphagia: Improving Diagnosis Through Risk Management

Oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) is underdiagnosed and current screening is costly. We aimed: (a) to develop an expert system (ES) based on machine learning that calculates the risk of OD from the electronic health records (EHR) of all hospitalized older patients during admission, and (b) to implement the ES in a general hospital. In an observational, retrospective study, EHR and swallowing assessment using the volume-viscosity swallow test for OD were captured over 24 months in patients > 70 yr admitted to Mataró Hospital. We studied the predictive power for OD of 25,000 variables. ES was obtained using feature selection, the final prediction model was built with non-linear methods (Random Forest). The database included 2809 older patients (mean age 82.47 ± 9.33 yr), severely dependent (Barthel Index 47.68 ± 31.90), with multiple readmissions (4.06 ± 7.52); 75.76% had OD. The psychometrics of the ES built with a non-linear model were: Area under the ROC Curve of 0.840; sensitivity 0.940; specificity, 0.416; Positive Predictive Value 0.834; Negative Predictive Value 0.690; positive likelihood ratio (LH), 1.61 and negative LH, 0.146. The ES screens in 6 s all patients admitted to a 419-bed hospital, identifies patients at greater risk of OD, and shows the risk for OD in the clinician's workstation. It is currently in use at our institution. Our ES provides accurate, systematic and universal screening for OD in real time during hospital admission of older patients, allowing the most appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to be selected for each patient.

Oropharyngeal dysphagia frequency in older adults living in nursing homes: an integrative review

PURPOSE

To synthesize the scientific knowledge on the frequency of oropharyngeal dysphagia in older adults living in nursing homes.

RESEARCH STRATEGIES

The study question followed the PECO strategy and the search was performed in the Pubmed/Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, LILACS and SciELO databases, using keywords and specific free terms.

SELECTION CRITERIA

articles with no time or language restrictions that reported the frequency of oropharyngeal dysphagia in older adults living in nursing homes and the diagnostic criteria.

DATA ANALYSIS

it was analyzed the population characteristics, the concept of "oropharyngeal dysphagia", the methods for identifying the outcome and the frequency of oropharyngeal dysphagia. The evaluation of the methodological quality of the articles followed the criteria of Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE).

RESULTS

Fifteen articles were included. There was great variability in relation to the sample size, with a predominance of longevous old women. The concept of dysphagia, when mentioned, was heterogeneous. Diagnostic criteria were diverse and mostly comprised of questionnaires or clinical trials results. No studies used instrumental tests. The frequency of oropharyngeal dysphagia in the studied population ranged from 5.4% to 83.7%, being higher in studies that used clinical tests, but with greater precision of confidence intervals in studies that used questionnaires and large sample size.

CONCLUSION

The frequency of oropharyngeal dysphagia in older adults living in nursing homes has wide variability. Methodological discrepancies among studies compromise the reliability of frequency estimates and highlight the need for research with better defined and standardized methodological criteria.

Upper Gastrointestinal Disorders in Adult Patients with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

The purpose of this literature review is to address the diagnosis and treatment of upper gastrointestinal (GI) disorders in patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Manifestations of upper GI dysmotility and disorders include dysphagia, pulmonary aspiration, malnutrition, gastroesophageal reflux, and gastritis, all of which can impact a person’s quality of life and lead to chronic, life-threatening conditions. This article will explore the existing diagnostic methods and treatments for gastrointestinal disorders as they relate to patients with IDD.

Utility of the EAT-10 in the detection of dysphagia in high-risk hospitalisation units at a university hospital: a cross-sectional study

Introduction

Introduction: the objective was to assess the utility of the Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10) in hospitalisation units with patients at high risk of dysphagia. Patients and methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted in the Neurology and Internal Medicine wards; patients with admission < 24 hours and in a terminal stage of disease were excluded. In the first 24-48 hours of admission the presence of dysphagia as assessed with the EAT-10, the risk of malnutrition as assessed with the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tools (MUST), and comorbidities using the Charlson index were screened. Results: a total of 169 patients were recruited (76.0 years, 52 % women); 19.5 % were at risk of malnutrition. The EAT-10 instrument could be administered in 80.6 % of the patients, and was positive in 26.6 % (women 34.1 % vs. men 18.4 %; p = 0.025). When comparing patients with higher comorbidity with those with a lower Charlson index, a lower response rate to EAT-10 was observed (78.4 % vs. 93.9 %; p = 0.038), without differences in screening positivity (28.3 % vs. 19.4 %; p = 0.310). The prevalence of dysphagia risk was higher in the Internal Medicine unit than in the Neurology unit (30.4 % vs. 19.6 %; p = 0.133), as was the percentage of cases in which screening could not be performed (21.1 % vs. 11.1 %; p = 0.011). There were no significant differences in risk of malnutrition, mortality, hospital stay, or readmission according to the EAT-10. Conclusions: The EAT-10 has limited utility in the studied hospitalisation units due to a high rate of unfeasible tests, especially among patients at higher risk of dysphagia.

New perspectives in aspiration community acquired Pneumonia

Introduction: Aspiration pneumonia is a subclass of community-acquired pneumonia that is expected to have an increasing contribution in mortality and morbidity, particularly in the elderly population over the next coming decades. While studies have revealed significant progress in identifying risk factors for aspiration pneumonia, the clinical presentation and diagnosis remain challenging to healthcare providers. Areas covered: We conducted a broad literature review using the MeSH heading in PubMed/MEDLINE of 'aspiration pneumonia' from January 1970 to July 2019. The understanding of the microbiology of aspiration pneumonia has evolved from a possible shift in the causative organisms away from anaerobes to traditional community-acquired pneumonia organisms. The importance of this shift is not yet known, but it has questioned the pathogenic role of anaerobes, appropriate anaerobic testing and the role of these pathogens in the pulmonary microbiome in patients with pneumonia. The identification of risk factors led to strategies to prevent or minimize the risk of aspiration pneumonia with moderate success. Expert opinion: Our expert opinion is that further research is needed to determine the role of the microbiome with aspiration pneumonia and patient risk factors. There is also a great need to develop clinical tools to help providers diagnose, treat, and prevent aspiration pneumonia.

Cuestionario de adherencia para las adaptaciones dietéticas en disfagia

Las adaptaciones de la dieta son estrategias adaptativas de compensación que se utilizan para optimizar la seguridad y la eficacia deglutoria en personas que presentan disfagia. El objetivo del artículo es presentar un Cuestionario de Adherencia para facilitar el encuentro terapéutico entre paciente y familia en cuanto al seguimiento de las orientaciones dietéticas cuando existe disfagia, dado que en la literatura no existe ningún instrumento de estas características. El cuestionario se somete a un procedimiento de consenso, método Delphi, con el objetivo de que un grupo de expertos en la materia llegue a un acuerdo sobre el mismo. Un total de 13 expertos a través de dos rondas llegan a un 100% de acuerdo en un 80% de las cuestiones presentadas sobre el contenido del Cuestionario de Adherencia. El instrumento propuesto inicialmente se modifica y mejora gracias a las opiniones de los expertos. El resultado final es un Cuestionario de Adherencia para utilizar en la práctica clínica con personas que padecen disfagia y necesitan adaptaciones en la dieta, consensuado por un grupo de expertos.

Continuum theory: presbyphagia to dysphagia? Functional assessment of swallowing in the elderly

OBJECTIVES

To investigate whether disclosed symptoms (coughing, choking and throat clearing) can be used as early predictors of swallowing disorders in non-hospitalized elderly population. In addition, to determine the presence of early findings of swallowing disorders through fiber optic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

One hundred subjects older than 60 years were recruited from local community social meetings for seniors, they fulfilled inclusion criteria, and were given an oral interview and underwent FEES, with findings classified as: (1) saliva stasis; (2) pharyngeal residue; (3) penetration; (4) aspiration; (5) laryngeal sensitivity.

RESULTS

Twenty-one percent of subjects declared previous choking, 10% coughing, and 7% throat clearing, 39% had pharyngeal residue; 6% saliva stasis; 9% penetration; 2% aspiration; and 92% laryngeal sensitivity present. Thirty-three percent showed pharyngeal residue without saliva stasis, while only 6% showed positivity for both (p = 0.003).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that health care professionals should be aware that among an apparently healthy population, some subjects may have swallowing disorders without clinical complaints and that a nasolaryngoscopy exam may not be enough to predict dysphagia. We suggest that FEES should be performed to look for surrogate of dysphagia such as pharyngeal residue, laryngeal penetration, and aspiration.

Nutritional Aspects of Dysphagia Management

This chapter describes the nutritional aspects of dysphagia management by starting with the definition of these two conditions (dysphagia and malnutrition) that share three main clinical characteristics: (a) their prevalence is very high, (b) they can lead to severe complications, and (c) they are frequently underrecognized and neglected conditions. From an anatomical standpoint, dysphagia can result from oropharyngeal and/or esophageal causes; from a pathophysiological perspective, dysphagia can be caused by organic or structural diseases (either benign or malignant) or diseases causing impaired physiology (mainly motility and/or perception disorders). This chapter gathers up-to-date information on the screening and diagnosis of oropharyngeal dysphagia, the consequences of dysphagia (aspiration pneumonia, malnutrition, and dehydration), and on the nutritional management of dysphagic patients. Concerning this last topic, this chapter reviews the rheological aspects of swallowing and dysphagia (including shear and elongational flows) and its influence on the characteristics of the enteral nutrition for dysphagia management (solid/semisolid foods and thickened liquids; ready-to-use oral nutritional supplements and thickening powders), with special focus on the real characteristics of the bolus after mixing with human saliva.

European Society for Swallowing Disorders - European Union Geriatric Medicine Society white paper: oropharyngeal dysphagia as a geriatric syndrome

This position document has been developed by the Dysphagia Working Group, a committee of members from the European Society for Swallowing Disorders and the European Union Geriatric Medicine Society, and invited experts. It consists of 12 sections that cover all aspects of clinical management of oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) related to geriatric medicine and discusses prevalence, quality of life, and legal and ethical issues, as well as health economics and social burden. OD constitutes impaired or uncomfortable transit of food or liquids from the oral cavity to the esophagus, and it is included in the World Health Organization's classification of diseases. It can cause severe complications such as malnutrition, dehydration, respiratory infections, aspiration pneumonia, and increased readmissions, institutionalization, and morbimortality. OD is a prevalent and serious problem among all phenotypes of older patients as oropharyngeal swallow response is impaired in older people and can cause aspiration. Despite its prevalence and severity, OD is still underdiagnosed and untreated in many medical centers. There are several validated clinical and instrumental methods (videofluoroscopy and fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing) to diagnose OD, and treatment is mainly based on compensatory measures, although new treatments to stimulate the oropharyngeal swallow response are under research. OD matches the definition of a geriatric syndrome as it is highly prevalent among older people, is caused by multiple factors, is associated with several comorbidities and poor prognosis, and needs a multidimensional approach to be treated. OD should be given more importance and attention and thus be included in all standard screening protocols, treated, and regularly monitored to prevent its main complications. More research is needed to develop and standardize new treatments and management protocols for older patients with OD, which is a challenging mission for our societies.

European Society for Swallowing Disorders - European Union Geriatric Medicine Society white paper: oropharyngeal dysphagia as a geriatric syndrome

This position document has been developed by the Dysphagia Working Group, a committee of members from the European Society for Swallowing Disorders and the European Union Geriatric Medicine Society, and invited experts. It consists of 12 sections that cover all aspects of clinical management of oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) related to geriatric medicine and discusses prevalence, quality of life, and legal and ethical issues, as well as health economics and social burden. OD constitutes impaired or uncomfortable transit of food or liquids from the oral cavity to the esophagus, and it is included in the World Health Organization's classification of diseases. It can cause severe complications such as malnutrition, dehydration, respiratory infections, aspiration pneumonia, and increased readmissions, institutionalization, and morbimortality. OD is a prevalent and serious problem among all phenotypes of older patients as oropharyngeal swallow response is impaired in older people and can cause aspiration. Despite its prevalence and severity, OD is still underdiagnosed and untreated in many medical centers. There are several validated clinical and instrumental methods (videofluoroscopy and fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing) to diagnose OD, and treatment is mainly based on compensatory measures, although new treatments to stimulate the oropharyngeal swallow response are under research. OD matches the definition of a geriatric syndrome as it is highly prevalent among older people, is caused by multiple factors, is associated with several comorbidities and poor prognosis, and needs a multidimensional approach to be treated. OD should be given more importance and attention and thus be included in all standard screening protocols, treated, and regularly monitored to prevent its main complications. More research is needed to develop and standardize new treatments and management protocols for older patients with OD, which is a challenging mission for our societies.

Dysphagia in the elderly: focus on rehabilitation strategies

Prevalence of oropharyngeal dysphagia among the elderly is high, but underestimated and underdiagnosed. It may give raise to relevant complications impacting on morbidity, hospital length of stay and health care costs. Dysphagia evaluation and management is a multidisciplinary task; it includes a detailed history taking, clinical and instrumental exams, and identification of the risk of aspiration. Long-standing individual abilities and impairments determine the goals of an ad hoc rehabilitation program. Currently there are no standard algorithmic approaches for the management of dysphagia in the elderly. Education of health professionals on early diagnosis and improvement of therapeutic strategies are mainstays to allow maximal recovery potential in this population. This narrative review summarizes the current rehabilitation approaches for dysphagia in the elderly. The aim is to inform the treating health care professionals, whether caring physician, physical medicine doctor, speech/swallowing therapist or nurse, on the state-of-the-art and stimulate discussion in the scientific community.

Clinical prognostic indicators of dysphagia following prolonged orotracheal intubation in ICU patients

Introduction

The development of postextubation swallowing dysfunction is well documented in the literature with high prevalence in most studies. However, there are relatively few studies with specific outcomes that focus on the follow-up of these patients until hospital discharge. The purpose of our study was to determine prognostic indicators of dysphagia in ICU patients submitted to prolonged orotracheal intubation (OTI).

Methods

We conducted a retrospective, observational cohort study from 2010 to 2012 of all patients over 18 years of age admitted to a university hospital ICU who were submitted to prolonged OTI and subsequently received a bedside swallow evaluation (BSE) by a speech pathologist. The prognostic factors analyzed included dysphagia severity rate at the initial swallowing assessment and at hospital discharge, age, time to initiate oral feeding, amount of individual treatment, number of orotracheal intubations, intubation time and length of hospital stay.

Results

After we excluded patients with neurologic diseases, tracheostomy, esophageal dysphagia and those who were submitted to surgical procedures involving the head and neck, our study sample size was 148 patients. The logistic regression model was used to examine the relationships between independent variables. In the univariate analyses, we found that statistically significant prognostic indicators of dysphagia included dysphagia severity rate at the initial swallowing assessment, time to initiate oral feeding and amount of individual treatment. In the multivariate analysis, we found that dysphagia severity rate at the initial swallowing assessment remained associated with good treatment outcomes.

Conclusions

Studies of prognostic indicators in different populations with dysphagia can contribute to the design of more effective procedures when evaluating, treating, and monitoring individuals with this type of disorder. Additionally, this study stresses the importance of the initial assessment ratings.

[Detection of dysphagia in the institutionalised elderly]

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of dysphagia in a population of institutionalised elderly people, and the effectiveness of a clinical method for its detection.

METHODOLOGY

A prospective study was conducted on a random sample of elderly residents. A clinical evaluation along with an assessment with different volumes and viscosities (MECVV) were used. Specific care and follow up was arranged following this assessment.

RESULTS

Forty residents were studied. The prevalence of unrecognised dysphagia was 42.5%. Following assessment by the MECVV, the prevalence rose from 22.5% to 65% (P=.012). Dysphagia detected by MECVV was related to nutritional risk, as measured by the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) (P=.007), and to the diagnosis of dementia (P=.028).

CONCLUSIONS

The diagnosis of dysphagia in this sample of institutionalised elderly people increases when applying a clinical method for detection, reaching a prevalence similar to other studies.

Prevention of aspiration pneumonia (AP) with oral care

AP is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in elderly patients, especially frail elderly patients. The aim of this article is to review effect of oral care, including oral hygiene and improvement of oral function, on the prevention of AP among elderly people in hospitals and nursing homes. There is now a substantial body of work studying the effect of oral care on the prevention of respiratory diseases. Oral hygiene, consisting of oral decontamination and mechanical cleaning by dental professionals, has resulted in significant clinical effects (decreased incidence of pneumonia and decreased mortality from respiratory diseases) in clinical randomized trials. Moreover, studies examining oral colonization by pneumonia pathogens have shown the effect of oral hygiene on eliminating these pathogens. In addition, swallowing training has been shown to improve the movement and function of swallowing-related muscles, also resulting in decreased incidence of pneumonia. These findings support the contention that oral care is effective in the prevention of AP.

Opportunistic respiratory pathogens in the oral cavity of the elderly

The oral cavity of the hospitalized or bedridden elderly is often a reservoir for opportunistic pathogens associated with respiratory diseases. Commensal flora and the host interact in a balanced fashion and oral infections are considered to appear following an imbalance in the oral resident microbiota, leading to the emergence of potentially pathogenic bacteria. The definition of the process involved in colonization by opportunistic respiratory pathogens needs to elucidate the factors responsible for the transition of the microbiota from commensal to pathogenic flora. The regulatory factors influencing the oral ecosystem can be divided into three major categories: the host defense system, commensal bacteria, and external pathogens. In this article, we review the profile of these categories including the intricate cellular interaction between immune factors and commensal bacteria and the disturbance in homeostasis in the oral cavity of hospitalized or bedridden elderly, which facilitates oral colonization by opportunistic respiratory pathogens.

Diagnosis and management of oropharyngeal Dysphagia and its nutritional and respiratory complications in the elderly

Oropharyngeal dysphagia is a major complaint among older people. Dysphagia may cause two types of complications in these patients: (a) a decrease in the efficacy of deglutition leading to malnutrition and dehydration, (b) a decrease in deglutition safety, leading to tracheobronchial aspiration which results in aspiration pneumonia and can lead to death. Clinical screening methods should be used to identify older people with oropharyngeal dysphagia and to identify those patients who are at risk of aspiration. Videofluoroscopy (VFS) is the gold standard to study the oral and pharyngeal mechanisms of dysphagia in older patients. Up to 30% of older patients with dysphagia present aspiration-half of them without cough, and 45%, oropharyngeal residue; and 55% older patients with dysphagia are at risk of malnutrition. Treatment with dietetic changes in bolus volume and viscosity, as well as rehabilitation procedures can improve deglutition and prevent nutritional and respiratory complications in older patients. Diagnosis and management of oropharyngeal dysphagia need a multidisciplinary approach.

Pathophysiology of oropharyngeal dysphagia in the frail elderly

BACKGROUND

Oropharyngeal dysphagia is a major complaint among the elderly. Our aim was to assess the pathophysiology of oropharyngeal dysphagia in frail elderly patients (FEP).

METHODS

A total of 45 FEP (81.5 +/- 1.1 years) with oropharyngeal dysphagia and 12 healthy volunteers (HV, 40 +/- 2.4 years) were studied using videofluoroscopy. Each subject's clinical records, signs of safety and efficacy of swallow, timing of swallow response, hyoid motion and tongue bolus propulsion forces were assessed.

KEY RESULTS

Healthy volunteers presented a safe and efficacious swallow, faster laryngeal closure (0.157 +/- 0.013 s) upper esophageal sphincter opening (0.200 +/- 0.011 s), and maximal vertical hyoid motion (0.310 +/- 0.048 s), and stronger tongue propulsion forces (22.16 +/- 2.54 mN) than FEP. By contrast, 63.63% of FEP presented oropharyngeal residue, 57.10%, laryngeal penetration and 17.14%, tracheobronchial aspiration. Frail elderly patients with impaired swallow safety showed delayed laryngeal vestibule (LV) closure (0.476 +/- 0.047 s), similar bolus propulsion forces, poor functional capacity and higher 1-year mortality rates (51.7%vs 13.3%, P = 0.021) than FEP with safe swallow. Frail elderly patients with oropharyngeal residue showed impaired tongue propulsion (9.00 +/- 0.10 mN), delayed maximal vertical hyoid motion (0.612 +/- 0.071 s) and higher (56.0%vs 15.8%, P = 0.012) 1-year mortality rates than those with efficient swallow.

CONCLUSION & INFERENCES

Frail elderly patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia presented poor outcome and high mortality rates. Impaired safety of deglutition and aspirations are mainly caused by delayed LV closure. Impaired efficacy and residue are mainly related to weak tongue bolus propulsion forces and slow hyoid motion. Treatment of dysphagia in FEP should be targeted to improve these critical events.

Prevalence and prognostic implications of dysphagia in elderly patients with pneumonia

BACKGROUND

oropharyngeal dysphagia is a common condition among the elderly but not systematically explored.

OBJECTIVE

to assess the prevalence and the prognostic significance of oropharyngeal dysphagia among elderly patients with pneumonia.

DESIGN

a prospective cohort study.

SETTING

an acute geriatric unit in a general hospital.

SUBJECTS

a total of 134 elderly patients (>70 years) consecutively admitted with pneumonia.

METHODS

clinical bedside assessment of oropharyngeal dysphagia and aspiration with the water swallow test were performed. Demographic and clinical data, Barthel Index, Mini Nutritional Assessment, Charlson Comorbidity Index, Fine's Pneumonia Severity Index and mortality at 30 days and 1 year after admission were registered.

RESULTS

of the 134 patients, 53% were over 84 years and 55% presented clinical signs of oropharyngeal dysphagia; the mean Barthel score was 61 points indicating a frail population. Patients with dysphagia were older, showed lower functional status, higher prevalence of malnutrition and comorbidities and higher Fine's pneumonia severity scores. They had a higher mortality at 30 days (22.9% vs. 8.3%, P = 0.033) and at 1 year of follow-up (55.4% vs. 26.7%, P = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

oropharyngeal dysphagia is a highly prevalent clinical finding in elderly patients with pneumonia and is an indicator of disease severity in older patients with pneumonia.

[Oropharyngeal dysphagia and aspiration]

Oropharyngeal dysphagia, or inability to swallow liquids and/or solids, is one of the less well known geriatric syndromes, despite its enormous impact on functional ability, quality of life and health in affected individuals. The origin of oropharyngeal dysphagia can be structural or functional. Patients with neurodegenerative or cerebrovascular diseases and the frail elderly are the most vulnerable. The complications of oropharyngeal dysphagia are malnutrition, dehydration and aspiration, all of which are serious and provoke high morbidity and mortality. Oropharyngeal aspiration causes frequent respiratory infections and aspiration pneumonias. Antibiotic therapy must cover the usual microorganisms of the oropharyngeal flora. Oropharyngeal dysphagia should be identified early in risk groups through the use of screening methods involving clinical examination of swallowing and diagnostic confirmation methods. The simplest and most effective therapeutic intervention is adaptation of the texture of the solid and the viscosity of the liquid.

Accuracy of the volume-viscosity swallow test for clinical screening of oropharyngeal dysphagia and aspiration

AIMS

To determine the accuracy of the bedside volume-viscosity swallow test (V-VST) for clinical screening of impaired safety and efficacy of deglutition.

METHODS

We studied 85 patients with dysphagia and 12 healthy subjects. Series of 5-20 mL nectar (295.02 mPa.s), liquid (21.61 mPa.s) and pudding (3682.21 mPa.s) bolus were administered during the V-VST and videofluoroscopy. Cough, fall in oxygen saturation > or =3%, and voice changes were considered signs of impaired safety, and piecemeal deglutition and oropharyngeal residue, signs of impaired efficacy.

RESULTS

Videofluoroscopy showed patients had prolonged swallow response (> or =1064 ms); 52.1% had safe swallow at nectar, 32.9%, at liquid (p<0.05), and 80.6% at pudding viscosity (p<0.05); 29.4% had aspirations, and 45.8% oropharyngeal residue. The V-VST showed 83.7% sensitivity and 64.7% specificity for bolus penetration into the larynx and 100% sensitivity and 28.8% specificity for aspiration. Sensitivity of V-VST was 69.2% for residue, 88.4% for piecemeal deglutition, and 84.6% for identifying patients whose deglutition improved by enhancing bolus viscosity. Specificity was 80.6%, 87.5%, and 73.7%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The V-VST is a sensitive clinical method to identify patients with dysphagia at risk for respiratory and nutritional complications, and patients whose deglutition could be improved by enhancing bolus viscosity. Patients with a positive test should undergo videofluoroscopy.

[Diagnosis and treatment of functional oropharyngeal dysphagia. Features of interest to the digestive surgeon]

Digestive surgeons should form part of the multidisciplinary team managing patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia. These patients can be diagnosed through clinical methods and complementary investigations such as videofluoroscopy and pharyngoesophageal manometry. These techniques also allow specific treatment to be selected. Up to one-third of patients with dysphagia suffer from malnutrition as a result of alterations in food bolus transport. Furthermore, up to two-thirds show alterations in swallowing safety (penetrations and aspirations, especially when swallowing liquids), as well as a high risk of respiratory infections and aspiration pneumonia. Increasing food bolus viscosity to 3500-4000 mPas (pudding viscosity) improves the effectiveness of swallowing and reduces the risk of aspirations. Botulinic toxin injection in the upper esophageal sphincter is indicated in patients with spasticity of neuromuscular origin. Cricopharyngeal myotomy is the basis of treatment for Zenker's diverticulum and is also indicated in patients with alterations in the upper esophageal sphincter and preserved oropharyngeal motor response.