VitalStim Therapy®
New England Rehab Hospital Offers New Therapy for Debilitating Swallowing Disorder

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Introduction

For the estimated 15 million Americans afflicted with dysphagia, symptoms can range from discomfort when swallowing to actually losing the ability to swallow.

Dysphagia is common among stroke victims, those with progressive neurological disorders, brain injuries and the elderly.

Current therapies include swallowing exercises and compensatory behaviors, diet modification, thermal-tactile stimulation, and the insertion of a feeding tube. These traditional treatments all share a limited rate of success.

VitalStim Therapy® is an innovative procedure that facilitates retraining of throat muscles affected by dysphagia. It is the first and only FDA cleared Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) therapy for treating dysphagia. NMES has been routinely used to help restore muscle function, but medical concerns with placing electrodes on the anterior neck have limited its use in treating dysphagia. VitalStim's unique application has overcome these concerns.

Features

During VitalStim Therapy®, a carefully calibrated electrical current is delivered by specially designed electrodes to the muscles that control the swallowing function. The current stimulates the peripheral motor nerves and causes contraction in the muscles. This results in improved muscle contractions and swallow function. Repeated therapy helps to gradually retrain the muscle groups to complete the swallowing process.

In a clinical trial of nearly 900 patients, more than 98 percent improved their swallow function score. Greater than 97 percent of the patients with severe dysphagia regained swallow function past the point of feeding tube dependency and nearly 40 percent regained full normal swallow function. Depending upon the severity level, VitalStim TherapyŽ has been proven to be two to three times as effective as traditional thermal-tactile stimulation.

Patient Success Stories

Indications

• Common among:
  • Stroke survivors
  • Patients with progressive neurological disorders
  • Patients with head and neck cancer
  • Patients with brain tumors and traumatic brain injury
• The elderly; estimated to afflict half of all rest home residents.

Mr. Harold Kerr prepares for VitalStim TherapyŽ, (electrical stimulation). Small electrodes attached are attached to the throat to stimulate muscles involved in swallowing.

Under the guidance of Speech Language Pathologist Donna Bisbee (a Certified VitalStim TherapyŽ, Specialist), mild electrical stimulation is given to the muscles of swallowing as Mr. Kerr practices with liquids and solids.