Active clinical trials for "Deglutition Disorders"

There has been limited research in the area of speech and language therapy awareness in Pakistan. The study aims to assess the efficacy of providing speech therapy awareness in private schools through a pre-post model. This Quasi experimental study will be a means of reaching out to schools and directly create awareness regarding the field and its scope. Pre-assessment will be carried out and after which a 45 minutes presentation will be conducted face to face or through a webinar as per school directives. The results will be analysed quantitatively and pre-post assessment of the participants will be measured.

Wearable tele-rehabilitation technology allows for the efficient provision of rehabilitation services from a distance, facilitating tele-management of many disorders. The proposed research will develop and validate a set of mechanically compliant, easy-to-use, and inexpensive wearable tele-monitoring systems, for future use in the rehabilitation of swallowing disorders (dysphagia). The hypothesis is that the newly developed wearable sensors will have equal or better performance than traditional wired sensors used today in clinical practice. Factors related to signal quality and patient reported outcomes (e.g., satisfaction/comfort level, adverse effects etc.) will be examined.

The current standard of care for advanced HNC is concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CRT), which has led to increased survival rates, but with significant acute and long-term toxicities. Dysphagia, or difficulty with swallowing, is a common and expected side effect during and following CRT. Dysphagia occurs in up to 50% of patients and significantly impairs the quality of life (QOL) of patients during delivery of and recovery from CRT. Clinical trials evaluating promising and innovative adjunctive approaches that could increase the rate and magnitude of recovery from dysphagia in HNC patients are needed. Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medical technique that has been found to reduce symptoms and side effects associated with primary cancer therapy. This study evaluated the feasibility of conducting a randomized sham-controlled trial and collected preliminary data on safety and efficacy of acupuncture.

Swallowing function is controlled by two swallowing centres (one on each half of the brain). There is a dominant and non-dominant swallowing centre. Damage to any part of the brain can lead to swallowing problems, for example in strokes. Recovery of the ability to swallow is associated with increased activity (compensation) over the undamaged centre. The cerebellum is an area of the brain involved in the control and modulation of muscle movements. It is found at the back of the skull. Over the past few years studies have tried to improve swallowing function using techniques to stimulate regions of the brain and encourage compensation. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a technique which can temporarily increase or suppress activity over regions of the brain. This study will use cerebellar rTMS to attempt to increase activity over the cortical swallowing centres. It will also temporarily suppress activity over the dominant swallowing centre (a virtual lesion) before using cerebellar targeted rTMS to attempt to reverse this suppressive electrical and behavioural effect. The investigators aim to compare the effectiveness of rTMS over the two halves of the cerebellum to rTMS over one half of the cerebellum in increasing activity over the swallowing centres and reversing the suppressive effects of low frequency rTMS 'virtual lesion' over the dominant swallowing centre.

Evaluation of swallowing function and hydration following consumption of ThickenUp® Gel Express in patients with dysphagia.

The aim of this research is to determine the effect of specialized dysphagia training on knowledge and competency of nurses.

Background: High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is a non-invasive heated and humidified oxygen delivery device that is capable of delivering high-flow rates. It is a relatively new modality that has been introduced as an alternative to conventional oxygen therapy. The clinical value of the use of HFNC is not limited to its ventilation and oxygenation effects, it enables the patient to talk and is purported to permit oral feeding during oxygen therapy despite the limited evidence regarding its impact on swallow function. This study will determine the impact of different flow rates of a high-flow nasal cannula on spontaneous swallowing frequency at rest and swallowing effort and timing while swallowing. Methods: This is a prospective study designed to measure swallowing frequency and swallowing effort in fifty healthy adult volunteers. Participants will receive three levels of HFNC flow rates (30, 45, and 60 L/min) through nasal prongs. The study participants will be asked to swallow measured amounts of water and applesauce and subjected to each flow rate for 15 minutes. Swallowing effort measurement through surface electromyography (sEMG) will be recorded at baseline and the three levels of HFNC flow rates interventions.

Dysphagia is extremely common. The importance of providing adequate nutritional support to persons with dysphagia is the cornerstone to exceptional care. Diet modification with thickening agents is an essential aspect of this nutritional support. The purpose of this investigation is to compare the efficacy of a starch based (Thickenup or TU) to a gel based thickening agent (Thickenup Advance or TUA).

Few existing data currently indicates that anti-inflammatory drugs could help diminish the local cervical inflammation tough to cause the dysphagia, hoarseness and dyspnea after an anterior surgical approach to the spine. This study aims to evaluate the effect of high dose of steroids on dysphagia after an anterior cervical spine procedure. Patients subjected to a cervical spine surgery through an anterior approach will be randomized to a treatment group receiving 3 doses of IV dexamethasone (decadron) and a placebo group receiving saline. Outcome will be measured with dysphagia scales, modified barium swallow and rhino-pharyngo-laryngoscopy, all done pre and post-operatively. Secondary outcomes involve neurological condition, pain and fusion rate.

The aim of this study is to test the clinical effectiveness of IOE tube using individually customized 3-dimentional printed guiding tube as an alternative to Levin tube feeding when unconscious patients have no choice but tube feeding.