A Device that Models Human Swallowing.
M Stading, M Q Waqas, F Holmberg and 3 others
PMID 30673839WHAT IT FOUND
A throat model measured how fast and how much pressure a thickened bolus produced as it moved through a model pharynx.
It showed flow and pressure patterns similar to reported swallowing ranges. This is device validation, not patient evidence.
Key findings
01The model used ultrasound to measure bolus speed and shear rate without inserting a probe into the model.
02Bolus flow through the model produced speeds of 0.144 to 0.22 m/s and shear rates of 71 to 124 per second.
03Pressure measured in the model pharynx ranged from 21.84 to 23.38 kPa, and the authors said this agreed with in vivo manometry.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
No patients were studied, so the paper does not show what happens during real swallowing. The model was rigid and did not change shape as a real pharynx does during swallowing. It tested only rapeseed oil and one thickener mixed to syrup consistency. Air in the thickened liquid made ultrasound measurements less accurate. The paper says effects of volume, viscosity, temperature, flow rate, elasticity, and gelation were beyond the current work.
Declared interests
Funded by Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that the device improves dysphagia care. It was tested on fluids in a rigid model, not in patients, so it cannot show safer swallowing or guide treatment.