Dysphagia Flashcards
Why might some people not listen or accept advice from SLT’s in relation to food and diet?
People have different cultures, traditions and religious rituals with food.
What happens to our bodies without nutrition?
They become slow, fatigued and cannot regulate processes that manage toxins.
What are some physical consequences of dysphagia?
Choking and coughing.
Malnutrition- anaemia, dehydration, general illness.
Weakness, fatigue.
Chest infections. Eg. aspiration pneumonia-> Can lead to death as body is not strong enough to fight infection..
Breathlessness
What is the role of the SLT in managing the physical consequences?
Assess swallowing and make recommendations as to how physical effects can be managed.
What are the practical consequences of dysphagia?
Changes to mealtime preparation, changes to social engagement
What is the role of the SLT in managing the practical consequences?
Problem solve how meals can be prepared to minimise disruption.
Problem solve how they can eat out and socialise without being embarrassed.
What are the emotional consequences of dysphagia?
Fear of choking on food.
Embarrassment about modified diet and needing help.
What is the SLT role for managing emotional consequences?
Provider of support and counselling.
What are the economic consequences of dysphagia?
Medical/hospital costs
Costs of equipment and food preparation.
What is the SLT role in managing economic consequences?
Reduce hospital admissions.
Reduce length of stay.
What are the three phases of swallowing?
Oral, pharyngeal, oesophageal.
Which phase are SLT’s not responsible for?
Oesophageal phase but must have knowledge of presentation of problems.
What occurs in the oral phase of swallowing?
- See the bolus
- Smell the bolus
- Saliva starts flowing
- Vocal cords adduct
- Orbicularis Oris relaxes
- Primary masticatory closers relax
- Jaw openers activate
- Base of tongue approximates palate to contain bolus orally
- Lingual surface grooves with midline drop to collect bolus.
- Midline of tongue elevates to move bolus between teeth.
- Bolus is moved around mouth to breakdown solids and get bolus cohesion.
- Tongue tip followed by blade to palate pushes bolus in to oropharynx (tongue stripping)
What occurs in the pharyngeal phase of swallowing?
These things all happen in rapid succession.
- Hyolaryngeal excursion
- Velopharyngeal closure
- Base of tongue to posterior pharyngeal wall approximation
- Shortening of the pharynx
- Airway protection
- Opening of the upper oesophageal sphicter (UES)
What are the cranial nerves involved in swallowing?
CN5= trigeminal CN7= facial nerve CN9= glossopharyngeal CN10= vagus CN12= hypoglossal
What number is the trigeminal nerve and what does it control (motor, sensory)?
CN5
- Motor: jaw open, bite
- Sensory: sensory to face, hard palate, tongue
What are the problems observed with the trigeminal nerve (see, infer)?
- See: reduced mastication, reduced bolus preparation
- Infer: reduced hyolaryngeal excursion, poor anterior displacement of tongue, hyoid, larynx
What is the number of the facial nerve and what does it control (motor, sensory)?
CN7
- Motor: Close eyes, wrinkle brow.
- Sensory: Taste to anterior 2/3, sensory to soft palate.
What are possible problems with the facial nerve (see, infer)?
CN7
- See: facial control
- Infer: reduced elevation of hyoid. Reduced superiod, posterior placement of tongue, hyoid, larynx (implications for oral containment of bolus or base of tongue to PPW approximation)
What is the number of the glossopharyngeal nerve and what does it control (motor, sensory)?
CN9
- Motor: gag reflex
- Sesory: gag reflex
What are the problems with the glossopharyngeal nerve (see, infer)
- See: gag, swallow, acknowledgement of taste.
- Infer: reduced pharyngeal contraction, post-swallow residue, impaired airway protection (part, supraglottic protection); decreased BoT to posterior pharyngael wall approximation)
What is the vagus nerve number and what does it control (motor, sensory)?
C10
Motor: vocal quality, volitional cough
Sensory: reflexive cough/ inhalation cough challenge
What are problems associated with the vagus nerve (see, infer)?
See: very little but can hear dysphonia.
Infer: reduced capacity for airway protection, potential difficulty for supraglottic airway closure UES impairment.
What is the number for the hypoglossal nerve and what does it control (motor)?
Motor: lingual movement
What problems are associated with the hypoglossal nerve (see, infer)?
See: lingual movement in all planes.
Infer: poor bolus control, premature spillage with pooling, decreased base of tongue posterior pharyngeal wall with vallecular residue.
What are some conditions that impact on normal NEUROLOGICAL functioning in swallowing?
Stroke Parkinson's Disease Motor Neurone Disease Huntington's Disease Dementia Cerebral Palsy
What are some conditions that impact on normal ANATOMICAL functioning in swallowing?
Head and neck cancer (eg. glossectomy)
Cerebral Palsy
Cleft Palate
Who can refer someone to SLT?
The patient themselves
Family member
Paid carer
Another healthcare worker
What would assessment determine?
- If the patient does have dysphagia.
- What further assessment is required to establish a baseline function and decide if the patient is safe to eat and drink.
- What intervention is required to manage dysphagia, while maintaining positive QOL and reducing other medical nursing costs.
- How the dysphagia can be monitored for change.
What medical things would you need to find out from patients?
- Acuity of the condition.
- Diagnosis
- History of respiratory infections.
- Frequency of aspiration
- Length of dysphagia
- Mobility
- Nutritional status
- Odynophagia
- Oromotor control
- Recovery prognosis
- Respiratory status
- Secretion management
- Ventilator dependent
What wider health things must find out about the patient?
- Alertness
- Cognition
- Compliance
- Dental status/ hygiene
- Desire to eat
- Language skills
- Feeding independence
What mental health things must find out about patients?
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Eating disorders
- Schizophrenia
- Treatment (or not)
- Mental wellbeing of caregiver
What personal things must you find out about patients?
- Patient wishes
- Family wishes
- Support network status
- Presence of caregiver
How might you word questions to a client?
- Are you prone to colds/ chest infections?
- Are you often tired/ low on energy?
- Is there a specific type of food that makes you cough?
- Do you find chewing hard or painful?
- Do you have any conditions or diseases?
What kind of assessment might also be done before the SLT sees the patient and why might it be done?
A screening assessment done by another health professional to help SLT make decisions but it is not a full assessment.
What is another screening tool that is carried out by trained nursing or medical staff in Glasgow?
Screening Tool for Oropharyngeal Problems with Swallowing (STOPPS)
- Teaspoons of fluid, then sips of fluid. For recording observations, repeated assessment and clinical decision making.
What assessments could be carried out?
- Oromotor assessment
- Cough reflex testing
- Clinical bedside swallowing assessment
- Pulse Oximetry
- Cervical Auscultation
- Mealtime assessment
- Videofluoroscopy
- Fibreoptic endoscopic examination of swallowing.
What does an oromotor assessment do?
Evaluates cranial nerve function.
What is a cough reflex test?
Assesses how well the patient can protect their airway.
What is the clinical bedside swallowing assessment?
To observe the feeding process and possibly laryngeal palpation to evaluate assessable features of swallowing such as speed and strength of laryngeal movement, number of swallows taken and effort taken.
What can you find out from laryngeal palpation?
You can only infer aspects of swallow as you can’t actually see exactly what is inside the patient.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a bedside assessment?
Adv= Easily incorporated into a ward/clinic and non-invasive. Also, no toxic substances involved. Dis= Doesn't tell SLT about underlying problem.
What is a pulse oximetry?
Measures oxygen saturation (oxygen reduction reflects reduced airway protection)
What is the conflicting evidence for pulse oximetry?
- Colodny (2000) found no correlation between aspiration and SpO2 decrease.
- Smith et al. (2000) found that there is a good sensitivity but poor predictivity.
- Chan and Lo (2009) had reduced SpO2 for stroke patients but not hospitalised control patients.
What is cervical auscultation?
Use a stethoscope to listen to sounds of swallowing. There were studies for normal swallowing for water, yoghurt and mash and found that the thicker the consistency and bigger the bolus, the longer the sound lasts. Limitations for research meant the computer analysis is not easily transferred to clinical setting.
What is a mealtime assessment?
Provides useful information on how patients cope with a full meal with a variety of textures within one meal. Also, shows how they are fed or feed-themselves.
What is a videofluoroscopy?
Like a video x-ray that captures images of the entire swallow process .
What must you consider for videofluoroscopy?
- Level of consciousness
- Ability and/or willingness to follow instructions.
- Posture, sitting or standing
- Medical fitness for journey, exam and potential waiting time
- Possibility for early spontaneous recovery (eg. in acute stroke impact of information gained.
What are the disadvantages of videofluoroscopy?
- Can be expensive
- Radiation limits the frequency
- Need trained SLT’s
What is a fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing?
- Can be used to complement VF.
- Uses a flexible scope through nose to provide data regarding flow of food and fluid pre-swallow and amount of residue post-swallow (aspiration).
- Can be left in place for long periods of time so can be there for whole meal.
- Better for patients who cannot tolerate transfer to radiological suite.
What are some signs of dysphagia?
Coughing, gurgly voice, watering eyes, shortness of breath, change of colour in the patient’s face, evidence of aspiration on videofluoroscopy.
What do the signs indicate?
The signs (along with medical history) can help the SLT make a judgement about the risk of aspiration but this is not fact, it is only an idea.
What is the “description of events” and describe the summary?
Look at page 12 of booklet.
- Material doesn’t enter airway= Safe.
- Material enters airway, remains above vocal folds, is ejected from airway= Lanryngeal penetration with cough.
- Material enters airway, remains above folds, is NOT ejected= L penetration without cough.
- Material enters airway, contacts folds, is ejected= Deeper L penetration with cough.
- Material enters airway, contacts folds, NOT ejected= Deeper L penetration without cough.
- Material enters airway, passes folds, is ejected into larynx or out of airway= aspiration with cough
- Material enters airway, passes folds, not ejected from trachea but with effort= aspiration with ineffective cough.
- Material enters airway, passes folds, no effort to eject= silent aspiration.
Which levels of the swallowing scale are normal, which are concerning due to residue still remaining in the laryngeal vestibule and which levels are of most concern?
Normal= 1,2,4
Concern= 3,5,6
Most concern= 7,8
What are some serious consequences of dysphagia?
Dehydration, malnutrition, chest infections, aspiration and death due to any of these.
What are some feeding considerations/options?
- Oral Feeding vs. NBM
- Normal vs. modified diet
- Normal vs. thickened fluids
- Unlimited oral vs. limited oral
- Postural changes
- Airway protection strategies
- Rehabilitation potential
- Additional precautions
- Liason with other professionals
- Liaison with family members or other carers
When is enteral feeding used and what are the types?
When patients cannot swallow any consistency safely or maintain nutritional needs.
- Nasogastric tube
- PEG tube (percutaneous endoscopic gastronomy)
- RIG tube (radiologically inserted gastronomy)
What is a nasogastric tube?
- A type of enteral feeding
- Tube passed through nose, down oesophagus and into stomach.
- Temorary
- A dietitian calculates nutritional requirements and rate of food flow.
What is a percutaneous endoscopic gastronomy?
- A type of enteral feeding
- More permanent than NG but can be removed.
- An endoscopic procedure that involves a tube being passed through abdominal wall.
What is radiologically inserted gastronomy?
Like a PEG in that it is a small tube inserted into the stomach but x-rays are used to direct tube to right place.
Why are diets and fluids modified?
To make preparation of food, and swallowing process easier.
- What do thickened fluids do?
- What do very thick liquids and solids require?
- What does food require and why might it be difficult?
- Slow the passage of the bolus to allow time for airway closure.
- Need good tongue and pharyngeal muscle strength-> risk of residue if muscle strength compromised.
- Chewing-> difficult for patients with no/few teeth or weakness in masticatory muscles.
What are the different national descriptors for modified diets?
- Normal
- Texture E= fork mashable
- Texture D= pre-mashed diet, requires little chewing.
- Texture C= thick puree, can hold own shape
- Texture B= thick puree, needs spoon
- Texture A= thin puree, needs spoon
What are the different national descriptors for modified fluids?
Stage 3 fluids (equivalent of texture A) Stage 2 fluids= honey Stage 1 fluids= syrup Naturally thick fluids Normal consistency fluids
What else needs to be considered alongside a modified diet?
Size of mouthfuls
Amount of mouthfuls
Intake must be monitored for safety and for nutritional requirements.
What are the new international descriptors for modified foods?
7= Regular 6= Soft and bite size (mashable by fork) 5= Minced and moist (pre-mashed diet, requires little chewing) 4= Pureed (thick puree can hold own shape) 3= Liquidised
What are the new international descriptors for modified liquids?
4= Extremely thick (same as pureed) 3= Moderately thick (same as liquidised) 2= Mildly thick 1= Slightly thick 0= Thin
What are some additional precautions?
- Optimum positioning for eating and drinking is fully upright
- Mealtime strategies (eg. visual, physical or verbal cues)
- Supervision/ assistance
- Monitor chest status
- Encourage coughing
- Good oral hygiene
- Dentures to be worn (if they fit)
- Medications to be given in alternative form if possible.
What must be considered with medication?
- Cannot be given in a different form as it nullifies the license.
- Decisions are not made by SLT. Would liaise with medical staff and pharmacist.
Who would the SLT need to liaise with for adapted cutlery?
OT
What is an example of adaptive cutlery often used?
Cups that control the amount of liquid provided and reduce the effort needed to take a bolus and ensure that head posture (mug with groove so you don’t have to tip your head) is optimised. Visual cue plates also used.
What would the radiologist be involved in?
Videofluoroscopy