Dysphagia

Dysphagic patients cannot swallow normally. Dysphagia can be mild or severe, and is most commonly caused by stroke and brain injury where the part of the brain responsible for swallowing has been damaged. Other causes include diseases like multiple sclerosis, Parkinsons, Alzheimer’s and motor neurone disease. It’s also associated generally with aging – 14% of Americans over 60 have clinically significant dysphagia.

Treatment

When a stroke patient is admitted to hospital their swallowing ability is tested. If they are diagnosed as dysphagic, they will most likely be fed through a tube passed through the nose and into the stomach (a naso-gastric tube). If they have not recovered within a few weeks, they will probably have a tube surgically implanted in the abdomen wall for feeding directly into the stomach. Their nourishment will come from a special diet. We are developing a new kind of medical device designed to improve the swallowing function in dysphagic patients.

Dysphagia is often part of aging. About 14% of all adults over the age of 60 are affected¹. ‘Acute dysphagia’ is the swallowing dysfunction seen directly after brain injury and while the patient is still in hospital.

Dysphagic patients are susceptible to malnutrition and dehydration. They often develop complications due to the inadvertant inhalation of food or liquids. This is "aspiration" and can frequently lead to the development of pneumonia and early mortality.

The average length of hospital stay and cost of care is much higher for patients with dysphagia than for those without. Long-term dysphagic patients are routinely fed through a tube directly into their stomach and are not allowed oral intake of any form. This restricts patient independence and severely reduces quality of life.

1. ASHA - Communication Facts: Special Populations: Dysphagia - 2008 Edition.