Learn What Is Involved In A Dysphagia Evaluation

By Jerry Brooks

Dysphagia also known as swallowing disorders usually affect patients who are admitted in hospital, those residing in nursing homes and those receiving care in the offices of doctors. Swallowing disorders usually occur because of medical problems like cerebrovascular accidents, Parkinsons disease, stroke, side effects of medicines and gastroesophageal reflux disease. If you have ever suffered from a stroke, your chances of suffering from aspiration resulting from dysphagia are high.

Dysphagia can affect people of any age and can have serious consequences for the elderly. Swallowing disorders can cause aspiration pneumonia and death. If you regularly face difficulties swallowing, or if regurgitation, vomiting or weight loss accompanies your dysphagia, you need to see a doctor. If you are unable to breathe well due to an obstruction, seek for emergency assistance immediately. A dysphagia evaluation enables doctors and speech-language pathologists to determine what is causing the swallowing problem.

Physicians perform various tests to determine the cause of the problem. One of these tests is the barium X ray. During the test, doctors ask patients to consume a barium solution that coats the esophagus, making it easier to see it in X-ray images. The physician can see any changes in the way the esophagus is shaped and view how the muscles are working. The doctors may also ask patients to swallow solid food or a pill with a barium coating to evaluate the throat muscles during swallowing. This enables doctors to look out for blockages that may not be identified by using the barium solution.

Doctors also perform a test called the dynamic swallowing study. They ask patients to swallow food with a barium coating and it differs in consistency. The dynamic swallowing study provides doctors with an image of the foods as they travel through the mouth and go down the throat. The pictures can show problems in the coordination of the mouth and throat muscles when a patient is swallowing food. The doctor can also find out if food is getting to the breathing tube.

The other test that doctors perform is endoscopy. This test involves evaluating the esophagus visually. It involves passing an endoscope (thin and flexible, lighted instrument) through the throat to evaluate the esophagus. The physician may also check for narrowing, inflammation, a tumor or eosinophilic esophagitis in your esophagus.

Another test that doctors use to evaluate swallowing disorders is the esophageal muscle test or manometry. During this test, your doctor will insert a small tube into the esophagus and connect it to a pressure recorder. This will enable the physician to evaluate the contractions of your muscles as you swallow.

The physician can also perform imaging scans. An example of these scans is a CT scan, which is a combination of several X ray views and computer processing to create cross sectional photos of your soft tissues and bones. The other type of imaging is the MRI scan, which creates detailed images of organs and tissues using a magnetic field and radio waves.

Once doctors or speech-language pathologists evaluate patients, they discuss the results with the patients and family members when necessary. These professionals then recommend efficient and safe eating, and drinking tips. They also recommend the most suitable treatment based on the cause and type of swallowing disorder a patient has.

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Benefits Of 3D Printed Pharmaceuticals

By Amanda Martin

Technology is transforming the pharmaceutical industry just like it is doing to other industries. Though in the pharma sector the transformation has not been as significant as it has been in other industries, the delay may still be compensated for. The sector can still come up to grow with the three-dimensional printing technology that is already making substantial changes and developments in the industry. Pharmaceutical companies that use three-dimensional printing technology will experience enormous benefits and success. The investment may be costly to a certain extent, but the returns are far greater. Here are some of the most common benefits of 3D printed pharmaceuticals.

The cost of producing will go down substantially, leading to a subsequent reduction in the cost of these medications on the counter. Three-Dimensional printing technology will eliminate the most expensive process in medicine production and replace them with more cost-effective ones. This would to a significant reduction in the cost of production and a subsequent decrease in medicine prices.

With three-dimensional printing technology, efficient manufacturing can be easily achieved. Since the main ingredients are added through the three-dimensional printers, the equipment offers the ability to manufacture high dosages and ensuring that every similar dose is exactly identical. This makes it an efficient method to produce medicine.

The technology provides for easier customization in drug production. Since some conditions or some patients require their medicine produced to their unique requirements and specifications, customization in medicine production has been in existence for quite a while now. Only the introduction of three-dimensional technology has made it easier and better.

Three-dimensional printing technology allows for faster pre-clinic evaluation of the newly produced medicine. It is used to allow for various iterations of the newly produced medicine so that they are produced at a lower price and at a much quicker pace. It may be used to evaluate the most likely profiles of the new medicines.

Technology is also associated with the improvement of R&D. It does so by both reducing the cost of the process and making it more efficient. Thanks to this feature or quality, it increases the possibility to test medicine using the 3-D print sample organs and tissues and not animals and synthetic models that were originally used.

It makes it possible for pharmaceutical firms to produce pills only on demand. This method is less costly and helps in a substantial reduction in the production cost. Instead of the previous method where factories produced pills in mass before distributing them, 3-D printing can help such factories to only print on demand.

It makes available new formulations for better medicine delivery. Drugs that were originally difficult to swallow have been improved for easier swallowing, thanks to this technology. Through this technology, the drugs are now designed in such a way that they can disintegrate rapidly in a patient's mouth for easier swallowing. It also makes the medicine to feel more comfortable in the mouth of the patient.

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Foods To Eat And Avoid In A Dysphagia Diet

By Kimberly Olson

There are patients who, due to some or other condition, find it hard to swallow food. This can lead to dire consequences, like aspiration, dehydration, malnutrition, and other undesirable conditions. To solve this quandary, caregivers and family members would have to craft a specialized dysphagia diet.

There are many facets to this disease, the most common one is the esophageal version, in which the food or the liquid get stuck at the esophagus. Many conditions contribute to this, such as stomach acid reflux, which causes inflammation in the said passageway. Thereafter, afflicted persons get the feeling that the substances are wedged somewhere in their chest. Extreme pain is always imminent. Hernia, cancer, and muscle disorders are also likely causes

A pureed diet is the most generally recommended for dysphagia. That means the comestibles should be soft, smooth, cohesive, and homogeneous. The difficulties may lie in meeting the adequate nutritional needs, like calories, proteins, and some such. There are also the mechanical soft foods, which are accordingly mashed, chopped, ground, blended, and whatnot. Soft diets include cooked vegetables, tender meat, hot cooked cereals, soft cheeses, ice cream, et cetera. If none of those make the cut, a patient may have to opt for thickened liquids like broth based soups and others.

However, dysphagia is pretty much a specialized condition by itself. There can be many facets to it. People may experience it in different gradations, others may find it hard to eat solids, while other are struggling with drinking. Therefore, they need different particularities to their food, such that they may need it to be springy or they need it to be firm.

When eating, the dysphagic patient should sit upright. If bedridden, then he should be propped up by support pillows. The position is absolutely necessary for safe swallowing, and even after eating, it has to be maintained for thirty minutes at least. All these countermeasures are meant to mitigate whatever chances are left to incur aspiration.

The first thing to do in this regard is, of course, getting a diagnosis. Dyshagia may not be the condition per se, but the symptom to some root cause. Once this is established, you would likely need the expertise of different kinds of health providers, from dietitians, speech pathologists, psychologists, occupational therapists, on top of your physician.

In order to preclude these actualities, one should keep up with other exercises used to counter dysphagia. For example, he or she should do swallowing exercises, which must have been advised by the therapist. Also, it would not do to change diets right off the bat after the slightest signs of improvement. Ask the permission and go signal of your physician first.

The diets vary in their consistency and texture, and they should be adhered to if effectiveness is to be assured. The best diets are nutritionally adequate by themselves. However, because of particularities unique to the patient, it may be hard for him or her to get enough nutrients. Adjustments should therefore be accordingly made. Aside from that, there are corresponding concerns on liquids and calories. Like any workaday person, the patients need up to 8 glasses of water a day, and where they are difficult to swallow they must be thickened. Similarly food can be fortified by protein and calorie when the patient eats difficultly.

While on this diet, you should aid the patient in doing necessary practices, like swallowing exercises. Make sure that they do not go off with medicine. Be particular and indefatigable in mentioning that the patient is on a dysphagia regimen. Even when you observe improvements, talk to a healthcare specialist first before you decide to skive off the whole fasting. Follow all instructions down to the dot, and remember to watch out for dire symptoms like worsening trouble in swallowing, vomiting, and unpremeditated weight loss.

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