Early Feasibility and Efficacy of a Novel Skill-Based Training Program for Poststroke Dysphagia.
Mariana M Bahia, Julia Carpenter, Kelly Rogers and 1 others
PMID 41477083WHAT IT FOUND
Two poststroke patients with dysphagia showed improved swallowing ability, physiology, and self-reported symptoms after a novel skill-based training program using visual biofeedback.
No adverse events occurred, but one patient did not finish the eight-session protocol.
Key findings
01Both patients demonstrated improvements in clinical swallowing ability, swallowing physiology, and patient-reported symptoms following the intervention.
02The program was deemed acceptable, appropriate, and feasible by stakeholders, meeting pre-established thresholds for all three measures.
03Silent aspiration persisted in both patients during thin liquid swallows despite the reported improvements in other swallowing outcomes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The efficacy pilot included only two participants, which is insufficient to draw conclusions about treatment effects. Outcomes were assessed only immediately after the program, with no follow-up to determine if improvements were retained. One of the two patients did not complete the full eight-session protocol, limiting the generalizability of the feasibility findings. Silent aspiration was not resolved in either patient, indicating that the program did not fully correct airway protection deficits.
Declared interests
The investigators have no financial or nonfinancial disclosures to make in relation to this project.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the improvements in swallowing scores as evidence that the program resolves aspiration risk. Both patients continued to exhibit silent aspiration in thin liquids after treatment, and the study involved only two individuals.
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