Breakthrough Treatment for Swallowing Problems Gets Boost from Leading Scientific Journal

Survey on E-Stim Therapy Highlights Patient and Clinician Satisfaction

NEW YORK, NY, MARCH 27, 2007 –  In a survey of two groups of speech-language pathologists with a specific interest in swallowing disorders (dysphagia), clinicians reported a high degree of patient satisfaction and a high degree of self-satisfaction with the use of electrical stimulation (estim) in the treatment of dysphagia.

The article reporting the results of the survey appears in Dysphagia magazine (February 2007): Electrical Stimulation treatment for Dysphagia: Descriptive Results of Two Surveys, by Michael A.Crary, PhD,(1) Giselle D. Carnaby-Mann, MPH, PhD,(2) and Allison Faunce, BA1.

The 946 respondent sample represented a high 47.3% return rate, and comprised 466 respondents from the End user group, that is, speech-language pathologists who had completed a VitalStim® Therapy training course at least six months prior to the survey, and 480 recipients from the Special Interest Division 13 (SID 13) of the American Speech Language and Hearing Association, professionals who have a self-selected interest in dysphagia.

Overall, clinicians in both groups reported “high levels” of patient satisfaction with their therapy experience. Above-average patient satisfaction ratings were reported by 80% - 100% of respondents.

On the question of professional satisfaction, the majority of respondents in both groups who were using an estim approach reported above-average satisfaction with this approach. Conversely, few clinicians reported that they were unsatisfied with estim techniques.

Respondents from both groups represented clinicians with extensive experience in the provision of clinical services to adult patients with swallowing disorders, the majority reporting more than five years in practice.  Overall, SID 13 respondents worked more in acute care and home health settings, while End user respondents were more likely to work in rehabilitation or long-term care settings.

Electrical stimulation users in both groups reported positive outcomes and no treatment-related complications following estim treatment. The most commonly reported post-therapy improvements were advanced oral diets and reduced aspiration. Based on the standard measurement tool, the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS), clinicians reported a trend of increased oral intake following therapy.

A large percentage of respondents in both groups reported fewer tube-dependent patients following therapy, with no swallow-related complications or complications related to the use of electrical stimulation. Clinicians in both groups felt that patients most likely to fail in treatment would be patients with multiple co-morbidities, progressive neurologic disease or dementia.

Advanced oral diets and reduced aspiration were the primary reported benefits of estim therapy in treating dysphagia. Patients treated with this approach demonstrated improved swallowing ability in 10-20 treatment sessions and with no complications. It was also reported that a high percentage of clinicians employed a variety of clinical techniques in addition to an estim protocol.

Regarding responses to safety issues identified in the SID 13 group, the authors state “this may reflect limited understanding of available information. [In addition to] two published studies, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reviewed safety data on the VitalStim system and has listed no specific safety concerns related to this estim approach to dysphagia treatment.”

The authors conclude that “results from surveys should not be misconstrued as evidence for clinical effectiveness or efficacy of any technique. Rather, such results are helpful in describing current trends or opinions and in developing future research efforts. The emergence of data from additional clinical outcome studies can only advance the understanding of electrical stimulation approaches to dysphagia therapy.”

Chattanooga Group (Hixson, TN), manufacturers and distributors of VitalStim® Therapy, sponsored the study through an unrestricted grant to the University of Florida and had no role in study design, data interpretation, or writing of the report.

VitalStim® Therapy is the only electrical stimulation device cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use on throat muscles in the treatment of dysphagia.  To date, VitalStim has been administered with no reported adverse effects to over 100,000 patients by over 6,000 VitalStim-trained and certified therapists around the country.

(1)Department of Communicative Disorders, Department of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida Health Science Center, Gainsville, FL, and (2)Department of Behavioral Science and Community Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida Health Science Center, Gainsville, Fl.

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Chattanooga Group
Lee Laino   212-879-1814
Ed Dunlay  423-504-6939
Yorick Wijting 423-309-9977