Show Notes
Coughing and swallowing are two important functions, both providing airway protection and therefore being essential for survival. However, as students and clinicians we usually learn a lot more about swallowing than about coughing. And often, evaluating the cough function in the dysphagia assessment goes down with simply asking the patient to cough and subjectively assessing the effectiveness of the cough through listening to its quality. For this reason we invited Dr. Emma Wallace to speak about her recently published spotlight article on cough reflex testing in clinical dysphagia practice (Wallace, Huckabee & Macrae, 2022). She explains what coughing is, what different types there are and when and how we can test it.
Helpful literature
Morice et al. (2007). ERS guidelines on the assessment of cough. https://doi.org/10.1183/09031936.00101006
Troche et al. (2014). A framework for understanding shared substrates of airway protection. https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-775720140132
More from dysphagia matters
Tracheostomy care is a highly specialised clinical area, but when it comes to infants and children, the complexities multiply. Pediatric care requires a completely unique approach that accounts for anatomical differences, developmental milestones, and family dynamics.
When we think of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), we usually think of snoring, disrupted sleep, and daytime fatigue. But there is a critical link between OSA and dysphagia. In this episode, we sit down with Prof. Ankita Bhutada from Northwestern University to explore how upper airway collapse and chronic respiratory disruption can profoundly impact swallowing function.
What do you do when patients report severe swallowing difficulties, but all structural and neurological exams come back normal? In this episode, we talk to Prof. Anna Miles about her paper “Functional dysphagia: Developing a framework for assessment and treatment”. We explore why terms like “psychogenic dysphagia” or “phagophobia” are outdated, look into the neurobiological underpinnings of the condition, and discuss practical, biopsychosocial strategies for speech and language therapists.
What if a microphone and a few sensors placed on the neck could detect dysphagia; without access to FEES or videofluoroscopy, maybe even without a dysphagia specialist in the room?
Dysphagia is an under-recognised but clinically important complication following cardiac surgery. In this episode, Prof. Cara Donohue discusses why dysphagia can occur despite surgery being anatomically distant from the swallowing mechanism. We explore the complexities of dysphagia in patients post cardiac surgery, highlighting risk factors, prevalence, assessment methods, and potential interventions. Cara shares her research findings and clinical perspectives, emphasising the importance of early detection and proactive management to reduce complications and improve patient outcomes.