The Pulse

This 81-year-old woman was admitted to a skilled nursing facility following hospitalization for acute respiratory failure. She was intubated (tube inserted in airway to assist with breathing), had pneumonia caused by aspiration (material entering the lungs), and oropharyngeal dysphagia (difficulty chewing and swallowing). As a result, she was referred for speech language pathology (SLP) services. Although she had a history of dysphagia from previous spinal surgery, she was able to consume a diet of regular food and thin liquids prior to this hospitalization.

Respiratory Research Summary:

Foundational Exercises Using OmniFlow^® Breathing Therapy Biofeedback System

This 83-year-old gentleman was admitted to a skilled nursing facility following hospitalization for a bilateral hemisphere stroke (affecting both sides of the brain). As a result, he developed opharyngeal dysphagia (difficulty chewing and swallowing). He was placed on a modified diet and referred to speech-language pathology services to improve swallowing ability. Prior to his stroke, this gentleman lived alone and consumed a regular diet and drank thin liquids.

Bernadette, Savannah, Brooke

Team Champions
Bernadette Guy, M.S., CCC-SLP, Savannah Smith, M.A., CCC-SLP, and Brooke Hierholzer, M.S., CFY-SLP, comprise the speech-language pathology (SLP) team at Dolphin Pointe Health Care Center in Jacksonville, FL. They have excelled with implementation of OmniME™ (Synchrony Dysphagia Solutions by ACP^® and OmniFlow^® Breathing Therapy Biofeedback System).

Respiratory Muscle Training Research Summaries:

This 53-year-old woman with multiple sclerosis (MS) was admitted to a transitional care unit following hospitalization for aspiration pneumonia with sepsis (life-threatening body response to infection). She had severe weakness and oropharyngeal dysphagia (difficulty swallowing). As a result, she was referred for rehabilitation services including speech therapy to improve her swallow function. This woman has a history of dysphagia with swallowing treatments due to her MS diagnosis, but prior to hospitalization she consumed a regular diet with thin liquids.