The pilot study examining the effects of swallowing position on lung volume fraction and the coordination between respiration and non-nutritive swallowing reflex.

BACKGROUND: Body position might affect the coordination between respiration and swallowing. This study was carried out to test the hypothesis that during swallowing, coordinated movements of muscle groups such as the diaphragm and rectus abdominis muscles are important to control normal swallowing apnea. OBJECTIVE: To investigate this hypothesis, respiratory parameters, swallowing apnea and muscle activity were measured in each of four body positions: sitting position with feet on the floor, 30° reclining position, lateral position, and standing position. METHODS: All measurements were performed in nine healthy subjects. Nasal airflow was measured using a pneumotachometer and muscle activity was measured using an electromyograph. All lung volume fraction parameters were measured using spirometer and swallowing apnea time was calculated. RESULTS: The maximum inspiratory volume was 2.76 ± 0.83 L in the 30° reclining position, which was significantly larger than that in the other positions (p = .0001). The preliminary expiratory volume was 1.05 ± 0.42 L in the 30° reclining position, which was significantly smaller than that in the other positions (p < .0001). The swallowing apnea time during water swallowing was 1.17 ± 0.35 sec in the lateral position and 0.87 ± 0.28 sec in the 30° reclining position, which tended to be longer than the 0.78 sec in the sitting position. CONCLUSION: We conclude that both lateral and reclining positions require a longer period of swallowing apnea compared to the sitting and standing positions. Differences in body position may significantly influence the coordination between respiration and swallowing.

Evaluation of swallowing function in patients with oropharyngeal secretions.

Background: Several studies have reported a strong association between the presence of oropharyngeal secretions in the laryngeal vestibule and the likelihood of aspiration of food or liquid. However, no previous studies have evaluated the accumulation of saliva and swallowing dynamics. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the factors related to decreased function that result in saliva accumulation based on images from videofluoroscopic examination of swallowing (VF) performed on the same day as videoendoscopic examination of swallowing (VE). Methods: This retrospective study investigated 47 patients with dysphagia who underwent VF and VE on the same day. Saliva accumulation in the pharynx was assessed on VE and classified by the Murray secretion scale. Pharyngeal residue was assessed on VF. In addition, displacement of the hyoid bone and larynx on swallowing and the opening size of the esophageal orifice were measured, and contact between the base of the tongue and the posterior pharyngeal wall was examined on VF. Results: Moderate correlations were found between saliva accumulation and perpendicular displacement of the larynx and upper esophageal sphincter opening. The percentage of patients showing contact between the base of the tongue and the posterior pharyngeal wall was significantly greater in those with a saliva accumulation score of 0 or 1. Conclusion: Less laryngeal elevation and upper esophageal sphincter opening and absence of contact between the base of the tongue and the posterior pharyngeal wall when swallowing tended to result in accumulation of saliva in the pharynx.

The influence of thickeners of food on the particle size of boluses: a consideration for swallowing.

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of thickeners with different levels of thickness on the sizes of particles in food boluses. In medical and nursing care, thickeners are used to make food safe for patients with dysphagia. However, the effect of thickeners on the foods they are added to, especially during swallowing, is still unclear. The bolus particles of 20 healthy volunteers were photographed, and the digital images were used to estimate the sizes of particles in them. Eight test samples with thickeners with different levels of thickness were tested: six grades of thickened carrot juice with raw carrots in it, raw carrot with banana, and raw carrot alone. The particle homogeneity index (HI) and particle size index (SI) just before swallowing were calculated. The viscosities of the liquid part of the test samples were also measured. The number of mastication cycles across the test samples was not significantly different. However, significant differences were found in SI and HI across the test samples: the absolute values of SI and HI tended to rise as the thickness of the test sample increased. The viscosity of the liquid part of the test sample also increased as the thickness increased. The differences in the thickness of food had an influence on the bolus particle sizes just before swallowing.

The efficacy and safety of sitafloxacin and garenoxacin for the treatment of pneumonia in elderly patients: A randomized, multicenter, open-label trial.

Oral treatment for elderly outpatients with pneumonia is becoming increasingly important in this super-aged society from the perspective of cost-effectiveness and limited hospital capacities. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of two oral respiratory quinolones, sitafloxacin and garenoxacin, in elderly patients with pneumonia. This randomized, multicenter, open-label trial was conducted among patients aged ≥65 years with clinically and radiographically confirmed pneumonia in Japan. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either sitafloxacin (100 mg/day) or garenoxacin (400 mg/day) for 3-10 days. The primary efficacy endpoint was the clinical cure rate at 5-10 days after the end of treatment. From December 2013 to November 2017, we enrolled 120 patients at 11 hospitals and randomly assigned 59 patients to the sitafloxacin group (1 patient withdrew) and 61 patients to the garenoxacin group. These included 30 patients with nursing and healthcare-associated pneumonia (NHCAP) (18 receiving sitafloxacin, 12 receiving garenoxacin) and 37 patients with aspiration pneumonia (16 receiving sitafloxacin, 21 receiving garenoxacin). The clinical cure rates in the sitafloxacin and garenoxacin groups were 88.5% (95% confidence interval: 76.6-95.6) and 88.9% (95% confidence interval: 77.4-95.8), respectively. No significant differences were observed in the incidence rates of drug-related adverse events between the sitafloxacin (20.7%; 12/58 patients) and garenoxacin (27.9%; 17/61 patients) groups. The most common adverse event was hepatic dysfunction, which occurred in seven patients in each group. We conclude that sitafloxacin and garenoxacin are comparably effective and safe for the treatment of pneumonia, including NHCAP and aspiration pneumonia, in elderly patients.

Classification of sequential swallowing types using videoendoscopy with high reproducibility and reliability.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to classify sequential swallowing types using videoendoscopy (VE) avoiding radiation exposure and compare the results using videofluoroscopy (VF). DESIGN: Twenty-one healthy adults simultaneously underwent VF and VE during sequential straw drinking. Each discrete swallow was classified into an L-segmental type (laryngeal vestibule opens after swallow) or L-continuous type (laryngeal vestibule closure continues after swallow) using VF and a V-segmental type (velopharynx opens after swallow) or V-continuous type (velopharynx closure continues after swallow) using VE. Test-retest reproducibility and interrater and intrarater reliability were evaluated in ten healthy adults. RESULTS: Of 128 swallows, 94 were L-segmental and 34 were L-continuous types as per VF, whereas 95 were V-segmental and 33 were V-continuous types as per VE. The leading edge of the bolus at swallow onset was significantly deeper in L-continuous types (P = 0.001). Laryngeal vestibule closure on VF images corresponded to velopharyngeal closure on VE images for 127 of 128 swallows (κ = 0.98, P < 0.001). All subjects showed the same types of swallows in the first and the second studies. Both interrater and intrarater reliability were high. CONCLUSION: VE showed high reproducibility and reliability in the classification of sequential swallowing types.

Stage I intraoral food transport: effects of food consistency and initial bolus size.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the temporospatial characteristics of stage I oral food transport, in which a piece of solid food is moved from the anterior oral cavity to the postcanine region for chewing. Anteroposterior transport is accomplished by carrying food posteriorly on the surface of the tongue, in contrast to the squeeze-back mechanism of stage II transport from the oral cavity to the pharynx. DESIGN: There were two experiments (Exp1 and Exp2): In Exp1, Twelve healthy young adults ate 2g, 4g, 6g, 8g 12g initial bolus sizes of banana and cookie; in Exp2, fourteen similar subjects ate 6g of banana and cookie with and without radiopaque tongue surface makers. Motions were recorded with videofluorography in lateral projection. RESULTS: Stage I transport duration was longer for cookie than banana (P≤.025), but there were no significant durational differences among initial bolus sizes. With cookie, tongue pullback was more frequent for small (2g and 4g) than large (12g) bolus sizes (P≤.048). With banana, however, the frequency of pullback was independent of initial bolus size. Kinematic analysis of tongue pullback revealed that the lower jaw opened as the tongue and hyoid bone moved both posteriorly and inferiorly; the magnitude of these displacements did not vary significantly between banana and cookie. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that stage I transport is a complex behaviour involving posterior and inferior displacement of the tongue, jaw and hyoid bone. Its frequency of occurrence is related to initial bolus size and consistency, but the magnitude of displacement is relatively constant.

Laterality of bolus passage through the pharynx in patients with unilateral medullary infarction.

Laterality of bolus passage in the pharynx is often seen in patients with medullary infarction. We evaluated the dominant side of bolus passage in the pharynx and investigated the factors that cause the passage to dominantly occur on the affected side. Forty-one patients (35 men and 6 women, 64 ± 9 years) with unilateral medullary infarction participated in this study. Bolus passage of 4 mL of thick liquid was evaluated in 3 regions (oropharyngeal, thyropharyngeal, and cricopharyngeal) and classified into 4 patterns (dominantly on the unaffected side [UAS], on both sides without clear laterality [BS], dominantly on the affected side [AS], and nonpassage of the bolus [NP]) by videofluoroscopic examination of swallowing. The bolus passages were as follows: UAS, BS, and AS occurred in 2, 32, and 7 patients in the oropharyngeal region; UAS, BS, and AS occurred in 5, 20, and 16 patients in the thyropharyngeal region; and UAS, BS, AS, and NP occurred in 11, 9, 10, and 11 patients in the cricopharyngeal region, respectively. In the thyropharyngeal region, the proportion of patients in whom the swallowing reflex occurred when the bolus was in the oropharynx and the proportion of patients with unilateral pharyngeal constrictor paralysis were greater in patients whose bolus passage was AS than in patients whose passage was BS. This suggests that the bolus predominantly passed through the affected side of the thyropharyngeal portion because of the asymmetry of pharyngeal contraction during swallowing in the early period after onset.

Usefulness of a handheld nebulizer in cough test to screen for silent aspiration.

Cough test to screen for silent aspiration (SA) was reported, and the effectiveness was excellent. However, the device was rather large so that the portability was poor. So, the purpose of this study is to investigate the usefulness of a handheld nebulizer for the test and verify the reproducibility of the method. The subjects were 160 patients who were suspected of having dysphagia and underwent videofluorography (VF) or videoendoscopy (VE). They inhaled 1.0 % citric acid-physiologic saline orally for 1 min using a handheld nebulizer, and the examiner observed the number of coughs: more than five coughs was considered as negative (normal), while less than four coughs was regarded as positive. Among the subjects, 70 patients administered the cough test and VF or VE twice or more at some intervals. The k coefficient was calculated in reproducibility. Using the results of the VF or VE examination as the standards, for SA detection, the sensitivity was 0.86, specificity was 0.71, positive predictive value was 0.53, and negative predictive value was 0.93. The k coefficient was 0.79. In conclusion, the handheld nebulizer was useful in the cough test to screen for SA. Furthermore, satisfactory reproducibility was shown.

Effect of the reclining position in patients after oral tumor surgery.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the effects of reclining position on swallowing functions in the patients who had undergone surgery for oral tumors. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 53 Patients after oral tumor surgery who had undergone the videofluoroscopic swallowing study in the sitting position and reclining position were sampled. We measured Oral transit time (OTT), Pharyngeal transit time (PTT), Penetration-Aspiration scale, Locating of the leading edge of bolus at swallow onset, Route of bolus transit and Transit velocity. RESULTS: Laryngeal penetration and aspiration were less likely to occur in the reclining position. The mean OTT was significantly shorter in the reclining position than in the sitting position. The leading edge of bolus at swallow onset was significantly lower in the reclining position than in the sitting position. The bolus went along the posterior wall of the pharynx in more patients in the reclining position. The mean PTT and the transit velocity did not significantly differ between the reclining position and the sitting position. CONCLUSION: This study suggested that, in patients after surgery on oral tumors, the reclining position is a useful posture to aid oral transit and to readily prevent aspiration and laryngeal penetration.

Screening test for silent aspiration at the bedside.

Many screening tests for dysphagia can be given at bedside. However, they cannot accurately screen for silent aspiration (SA). We studied the usefulness of a cough test to screen for SA and combined it with the modified water swallowing test (MWST) to make an accurate screening system. Patients suspected of dysphagia (N = 204) were administered a cough test and underwent videofluorography (VF) or videoendoscopy (VE). Sensitivity of the cough test for detection of SA was 0.87 with specificity of 0.89. Of these 204 patients, 107 were also administered the MWST. Fifty-five were evaluated as normal by the screening system, 49 of whom were evaluated as normal by VF or VE. Sixteen were evaluated as "SA suspected" by the screening system; seven of them were normal, and seven were evaluated as having SA by VF or VE. Nineteen were evaluated as aspirating with cough, 14 of whom had aspiration with cough as shown by VF or VE. Seventeen were evaluated as having SA, 15 of whom had SA shown by VF or VE. The cough test was useful in screening for SA. Moreover, a screening system that included MWST and a cough test could accurately distinguish between the healthy who were safe in swallowing and SA patients who were unsafe.

[The effect of "Oral Wet" for elderly people with xerostomia--the effect of oral rinse containing hialuronan].

Japanese society is aging rapidly, and the number of elderly people is increasing, hence the number of elderly people who have some diseases or disorders is growing. Therefore, Japanese dentists have to cope with various oral symptoms along with aging. Xerostomia is one of the most common symptoms of the elderly, but there is no established treatment. We tried to use an oral rinse "Oral Wet" that contains hialuronan and xylitol for elderly nursing home residents and examined the effect for Xerostomia. The usage of Oral Wet improved hyposalivation and unpleasant oral complaints of the elderly.