Swallowing frequency: Impact of accumulated oropharyngeal secretion levels and gustatory stimulation.

We conducted a prospective, descriptive study of 27 individuals with known or suspected dysphagia to investigate the relationship between swallowing frequency, accumulated oropharyngeal secretion levels, and gustatory stimulation. Assessment of the secretion level was quantified with the use of a previously published 5-point rating scale using endoscopy. Overall, we found a moderate relationship between the baseline swallowing frequency at rest and the accumulated oropharyngeal secretion level (Pearson correlation 0.

The modified barium swallow and the functional endoscopic evaluation of swallowing.

This article reviews the current standard of care for the instrumental evaluation of swallow function using the modified barium swallow (MBS) and the functional endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES). Both the MBS and FEES are valuable procedures for evaluating dysphagia and show good agreement with diagnostic findings as related to tracheal aspiration, laryngeal penetration, pharyngeal residue, diet level, and compensatory swallow safety strategies. The use of the MBS and FEES has advantages and disadvantages and both should be considered the gold standard for evaluating swallow function.

Pilot date on swallow function in nondysphagic patients requiring a tracheotomy tube.

Objective. To evaluate the effects of occlusion status (i.e.

Secretions, occlusion status, and swallowing in patients with a tracheotomy tube: a descriptive study.

We conducted a prospective, descriptive study of 40O tracheotomized patients to investigate the relationships between (1) levels of accumulated oropharyngeal secretions and laryngealpenetration/aspiration status, (2) secretion levels and tube-occlusion status, and (3) tube-occlusion status and aspiration status. Assessments of secretion status were quantified with the use of a 5-point rating scale. All evaluations were made by fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing.

Effects of the removal of the tracheotomy tube on swallowing during the fiberoptic endoscopic exam of the swallow (FEES).

This study investigated the effects, if any, that the presence of a tracheotomy tube has on the incidence of laryngeal penetration and aspiration in patients with a known or suspected dysphagia. This was a prospective, repeated-measure design study. A total of 37 consecutive patients with a tracheotomy tube underwent a fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES).

The effects of breath-holding on vocal fold adduction: implications for safe swallowing.

Objective: To determine the effects, if any, of 3 different breath-holding techniques on a person's ability to attain vocal fold closure (VFC) to successfully complete swallowing maneuvers.

Design: Prospective, randomized study.

Setting: Private practice.

Predictive value of accumulated oropharyngeal secretions for aspiration during video nasal endoscopic evaluation of the swallow.

The purpose of this prospective study was to investigate the predictive value of oropharyngeal secretions by use of 5-point and modified 3-point secretion scales for aspiration of food or liquid and diet recommendation outcomes. One hundred consecutive patients and 4 control subjects participated. The 5-point secretion severity scale correlated highly to aspiration (Spearman's rho = .

A comparison of tonsillectomy with the harmonic scalpel versus electrocautery.

Objective: We sought to test whether the use of the harmonic scalpel would cause less pain and more rapid recovery in tonsillectomy patients versus the use of electrocautery.

Design And Setting: In a private practice community hospital, we conducted a prospective nonrandomized comparison of 156 pediatric tonsillectomy cases. Local anesthetic infiltrations and steroids were used at the discretion of the surgeon.