|
New therapy for swallowing disorder now offered at Newton Medical Center
Newton Medical Center has introduced an innovative new treatment for patients who suffer from dysphagia, a condition that causes discomfort or difficulty swallowing. At its most severe - when patients lose their ability to eat - dysphagia can profoundly disrupt a life.
|
Known as VitalStim® Therapy, the treatment uses non-invasive electrical stimulation to help re-educate the throat muscles needed for swallowing. Cleared for the use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, VitalStim® Therapy is applied externally and delivers small electrical currents to the neck to stimulate inactive or atrophied swallowing muscles. With repeated therapy, throat muscles are re-trained until the patient reaches an optimum level of swallow function.
“VitalStim Therapy is truly a breakthrough in treating dysphagia,” said Vicki Daniel, director of rehab services at Newton Medical Center. As many as 15 million Americans suffer from dysphagia, with one million new patients diagnosed annually. The disorder affects 50% to 75% of all stroke patients and 60% to 70% of patients who undergo radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. Estimates of dysphagia’s prevalence in such neurological diseases as Parkinson’s disease and ALS run as high as 90 percent.
The condition is especially prevalent among older adults. Studies suggest that up to 75 percent of nursing home residents experience some degree of dysphagia and that as many as half of all Americans over 60 will experience dysphagia at some point after that age. The disorder can lead to complications such as choking, bronchospasm, increased infection rate, chronic malnutrition, life-threatening dehydration, significant weight loss, physical debilitation, social isolation and even death.
For more information about VitalStim® Therapy, including a free question and answer brochure, contact Newton Medical Center’s Speech Therapy Department at (316) 804-6080.
|
|