Aspiration detected in the fiberoptic endoscopy evaluation of swallowing (FEES) has been inconsistently associated with pneumonia, with no evidence of the risk of pneumonia from other alterations in swallowing safety detected in FEES. We conducted a dynamic, ambidirectional cohort study involving 148 subjects at risk of dysphagia in a tertiary university hospital. Our aim was to determine the risk of pneumonia attributed to alterations in swallowing safety detected during FEES. We used multivariate negative binomial regression models to adjust for potential confounders. The incidence density rate (IR) of pneumonia in patients with tracheal aspiration of any consistency was 26.6/100 people-years (RR 7.25; 95% CI: 3.50-14.98; P < 0.001). The IR was 19.7/100 people-years (RR 7.85; 95% CI: 3.34-18.47; P < 0.001) in those with laryngeal penetration of any consistency and 18.1/100 people-years (RR 6.24; 95% CI: 2.58-15.09; P < 0.001) in those with pharyngeal residue of any consistency. When adjusted for aspiration, the association of residue and penetration with pneumonia disappeared, suggesting that their risk of pneumonia is dependent on the presence of aspiration and that only aspiration is independently associated with pneumonia. This increased risk of pneumonia was significant in uni- and multivariate negative binomial regression models. We found an independently increased risk of pneumonia among patients with dysphagia and aspiration detected during FEES. Alterations in the oral and pharyngeal phases of swallowing, without aspiration, did not increase the risk of pneumonia.

Nil per os (NPO), also referred to as Nil by Mouth (NBM), is a health-related intervention of withholding food and fluids. When implemented in the context of a person with dysphagia, NPO aims to mitigate risks of aspiration. However, evidence demonstrating that NPO is beneficial as an intervention for people with dysphagia is lacking. This paper explores the theoretical and empirical evidence relating to the potential benefits and adverse effects of NPO and asserts that NPO is not a benign intervention. This paper argues for applying an ethics framework when making decisions relating to the use of NPO as an intervention for dysphagia, in particular addressing informed consent and a person\'s right to self-determination.

Dysphagia is known to present a social and psychological burden with negative effects on quality of life. However, the psychosocial effect of an individual\'s dysphagia on those that care for them is less known. The purpose of this study was to develop a clinically efficient, statistically robust companion-reported outcomes measure to the Dysphagia Handicap Index (DHI) to better understand the impact of a patient\'s dysphagia on their companions as related to physical, emotional and functional domains of health-related quality of life. Seventy-seven initial statements describing companion perceptions of dysphagia were divided into physical, emotional and functional subscales. The statements were administered to 75 consecutive companions of individuals with dysphagia. Respondents replied never, almost never, sometimes, almost always and always to each statement and rated their companion\'s dysphagia severity on a 7-point equal appearing interval scale. Cronbach\'s α was performed to assess the internal consistency validation of the statements. The final questionnaire was reduced to 25 items and administered to 317 companions of individuals with dysphagia and 31 controls. Test-retest was performed on 29 companions of individuals with dysphagia. Cronbach\'s α was strong for the initial and final versions at r = 0.96 and r = 0.97 respectively. Significant differences occurred between companion responses of subjects with dysphagia and the control group. Test-retest reliability was strong (all ICC > 0.85). We present a statistically robust companion-reported outcomes measure to assess the handicapping effects of dysphagia on companions to further our understanding of the global effect of dysphagia and to guide treatment for successful swallowing outcomes.

The development of thickening powders for the management of dysphagia is imperative due to the rapid growth of aging population and prevalence of the dysphagia. One promising thickening agent that can be used to formulate dysphagia diets is basil seed mucilage (BSM). This work investigates the effects of dispersing media, including water, milk, skim milk, and apple juice, on the rheological and tribological properties of the BSM-thickened liquids. Shear rheology results revealed that the thickening ability of BSM in these media in ascending order is milk < skim milk ≈ apple juice < water. On the other hand, extensional rheology demonstrated that the longest filament breakup time was observed when BSM was dissolved in milk, followed by skim milk, water, and apple juice. Furthermore, tribological measurements showed varying lubrication behavior, depending on the BSM concentration and dispersing media. Dissolution of BSM in apple juice resulted in the most superior lubrication property compared with that in other dispersing media. Overall, this study provides insights on BSM\'s application as a novel gum-based thickening powder in a range of beverages and emphasizes how important it is for consumers to have clear guidance for the use of BSM in dysphagia management.

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Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in pulmonary rehabilitation programs (PRPs) are not routinely screened for dysphagia. An Australian regional health service audit revealed that patients with COPD are frequently referred to speech pathology during acute admissions, rather than proactively to mitigate the risk of dysphagia-related consequences. Referral patterns to speech pathology using a novel transdisciplinary approach for identifying at risk for dysphagia patients in a PRP were explored. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a transdisciplinary dysphagia screening questionnaire on speech pathology referrals within a cohort of patients with COPD enrolled in a PRP. This quasi-experimental study introduced a dysphagia screening questionnaire in a PRP using a transdisciplinary approach. A retrospective audit of PRP patients (n = 563) between 01/01/2014 and 31/12/2018 was conducted to identify the frequency of referrals to speech pathology for dysphagia. Data was compared to a cohort of patients (n = 50) enrolled in the PRP (from 01/02/21 to 30/11/21) after introduction of the questionnaire using Fisher\'s exact test. Less than 1% (n = 4/563) of PRP patients were referred to speech pathology prior to implementation of the questionnaire. Following the implementation, referrals to speech pathology significantly increased to 16% (8/50) (X2 = 7.72, P < 0.05; odds ratio = 7.89 95% CI [1.94, 32.1]). Introducing a dysphagia screening questionnaire increased referrals to speech pathology from a PRP. This study demonstrated the potential for a transdisciplinary approach in early screening for patients at risk of dysphagia for patients with COPD. Further research is encouraged to explore patient motivation towards speech pathology input with COPD-related dysphagia and clinicians\' perceived self-efficacy in using the questionnaire.

Around 80% of persons with Parkinson\'s disease (PD) present symptoms of dysphagia. Although cognitive impairment may contribute to dysphagia, few studies have investigated the association between the PD neuropsychological profile and objective measures of swallowing dysfunction. Since the swallowing function comprises involuntary but also voluntary actions, we hypothesize that specific measures of attention and executive functions can be underlined in PD-related dysphagia. Therefore, the aim of this study was to extensively investigate the correlation and the relationship between attentive and executive functions and safety/efficiency of pharyngeal phase of swallowing in people with PD. All participants received a fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing and were evaluated using the Penetration Aspiration Scale (PAS); the Yale Pharyngeal Residue Severity Rating Scale (IT-YPRSRS), and the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS-IT). Participants also underwent a neuropsychological assessment covering global cognitive status, attention, and frontal executive functions. Correlations and associations between neuropsychological measures and swallowing components were calculated. Twenty-one participants with PD (mean age 69.38 ± 6.58 years, mean disease duration 8.38 ± 5.31 years; mean MDS-UPDRS III 43.95 ± 24.18) completed all evaluations. The most significant correlations were found between attentive functions (i.e., Stroop Time), and executive functions (i.e., Raven\'s Progressive Matrices, Digit Backward and Semantic Fluency), and FOIS-IT, PAS, and IT-YPRSRS sinuses and valleculae. These associations were not influenced by disease duration. These results suggest that a dysfunction to attentional processes and/or to executive functions can contribute to penetration and the presence of pharyngeal residue in participants with middle-stage PD.

BACKGROUND: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease that affects the neuromuscular junction. MG patients may present de novo with primary otolaryngology complaints, including swallowing dysfunction. This study describes a range of unique presentations and rare diagnostic serologies, which have not previously been fully described.
METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of all patients presenting with primary symptom of dysphagia and subsequently diagnosed with MG. Data collected included demographics, clinical presentation, swallow studies, serology, imaging, treatment, and response.
RESULTS: Five patients met the inclusion criteria. Four endorsed dysphagia as primary complaint and one endorsed dysphagia and dysphonia. All patients underwent in-office swallow evaluations that showed vallecular or pyriform sinus residue. Three patients completed modified barium swallow studies that showed pharyngeal weakness and epiglottic dysfunction in all, and upper esophageal sphincter dysfunction in two. One patient with additional symptom of dyspnea was admitted and found to be in myasthenic crisis. Upon serologic evaluation, three patients were positive for acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies only, one for muscle-specific-kinase (MuSK) antibodies only, and one for low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 4 (LRP4) antibodies only. All patients received neurology evaluation and were treated with steroids, pyridostigmine, plasma exchange, or rituximab. In three patients with over 1 year follow-up, symptoms were significantly improved or resolved.
CONCLUSIONS: MG is an important differential diagnosis in patients with unexplained pharyngeal dysphagia. While workup can include AChR antibody screening, in seronegative patients with persistent symptoms, additional testing for MuSK and LRP4 may lead to diagnosis and effective treatment.
METHODS: Level 4 Laryngoscope, 2024.

Dysphagia is a common complication following traumatic brain injury (TBI), and it is related to an increased risk of malnutrition, pneumonia, and poor prognosis. In this article, we present a case of TBI with persistent dysphagia treated with focal muscle vibration. A 100 Hz and 50 Hz vibratory stimuli were applied over the suprahyoid muscles and tongue (30 min twice a day; five days a week; for a total of four weeks) in addition to the conventional therapy to quickly recover swallowing and avoid the possibility of permanent deficits. In conclusion, this case highlights a novel therapeutic approach for persistent dysphagia in TBI, which should be considered in the management of dysphagia.

UNASSIGNED: Dysphagia can involve any structure from the mouth to the lower esophageal sphincter. The etiologies vary from benign causes to malignant lesions. There is dearth of data regarding dysphagia in our population.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 208 patients with complaints of dysphagia were screened for the study. After ruling out neurological/local oropharyngeal causes of dysphagia, 200 patients with suspected esophageal dysphagia (ED) were recruited in the study. Dysphagia was graded as per the dysphagia scoring system. All patients underwent upper gastro-intestinal endoscopy and were evaluated for the presence of mechanical and non-mechanical causes of ED.
UNASSIGNED: The mean age of patients with dysphagia was 53.8 ± 15.4 years. with males and females being 82 and 118, respectively. The mean duration of the symptom was 7.2 ± 10.6 months (median 3 months). Ninety-eight patients (49%) having dysphagia were in the age group of 56-65 years. The dysphagia score was 0 among 58, and 4 among 26 subjects. Foreign body sensation was the most frequent chief complaint in 90 (45%) patients. Ninety-six (48%) and 104 (52%) patients had mechanical and non-mechanical causes of dysphagia, respectively. Among mechanical causes of dysphagia, 68 patients (70.8%) had esophageal growth and 28 (29.2%) had esophageal stricture. Sixty-seven patients had squamous cell carcinoma. Among non-mechanical causes, 50 (48.1%) had globus sensation, 24 (23.1%) had hiatus hernia, and 16 (15.4%) functional dysphagia.
UNASSIGNED: Dysphagia is a common problem with varied etiologies. The esophageal growth and globus sensation are among the predominant causes of ED. We stress that all patients of dysphagia must be meticulously investigated.