Category: Short ‘n Sweet SLP Reviews

It’s somehow 2023, and long are the days when anytime a dark contrasted bolus passes the ramus of the mandible equals an automatic “fail” or impairment. With an all-star cast, this is another article to highlight and keep to better understand this ever-changing pharyngeal phenomenon.🤓

My choice became the tie-breaker!🫠 How many times have you gotten a referral for someone simply saying, “Something gets stuck when I swallow,” or “There’s something in my throat” ? And how many times have you asked that person to point to where they feel this, only to later find either nothing at all or the oposite direction?! The mismatch can be maddening! This article is amazing for not only more evidence to fight for the esophageal sweeps, but also to think twice about where your patient points to!🤔

I don’t know about you, but these days I can use all the help I can get for making my job easier, quicker, or better. I mean, we can always improve either as clinicians or as a field, right? The Eating Assessment Tool-10 (EAT-10) has been around since 2008, and this recent article looks at ways to give it a bit of a future makeover!🤓

We come. We evaluate. We treat. We recommend. We leave.

That seems to be the simplistic sequence, right? Ever wonder what happens to those recommendations we all so fervently include though? Well, that’s just what these authors wanted to find out! There’ll be a ton of lessons to learn, and this seems to be just the start.🤯

When we SLPs hear a cough in a restaurant, at the dinner table, or at bedside, our brains automatically go into assessment mode ping-ponging an array of questions and assumptions: “Why did they cough?” “Oof, that sounded bad” or “They probably aspirated.” But what does a “bad” cough sound like?🤔 How do we know?🧐 Is a more experienced clinician’s ears better at detecting this?? Surely there’s got to be a better way! After browsing through some articles that look at this topic, I’ll give ya the short ‘n sweet version.😇

Over the last few decades, prevention has been a key role in health more than ever. From preventing wrinkles to preventing heart disease, taking steps to prevent (or at least slow down) sometimes inevitable outcomes can have an influential impact down the road. 
But what if we don’t think there’s a problem or anything to be changed?🤔 That’s just what this viewpoint type of article starts to explore, and let me tell you, the insights learned may stick in your SLP mind longer than extra-thickened molasses…

Before we had microwaves, we had ovens. Before we had cars, we had horses. And before we had CTAR, we had (and still have) the Shaker. As clinicians we’re always always on the lookout for new or better interventions, so I wanted to look into a more recent article that gives an interesting perspective (from PTs!) that compares these and a novel approach to improve those stubborn suprahyoid muscles for better airway protection!

We often learn in academic, clinical experience, or continued education about the wide array of etiologies for a dysphagia (and I mean WIDE in every sense of the word!). But what if we don’t know? What if there’s nothing you can see on any of the swallow studies, no cause for concern? What happens when there’s no explanation for our patient’s symptoms not being addressed?

If your brain speeds straight to psych or malingering, pump those breaks and keep reading to find not only some possible approaches for this kind of patient but some sweet spoilers along the way!🤫🤯

Not only is the acronym name 🤩PERFECT🤩, but the whole purpose and background behind the Dynamic Imaging Grade of Swallowing Toxicity make it truly a work that pushes our field further while continuing closer collaboration with other respected professions (which is always needed in any setting, treatment plan, and patient care). I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been wanting to learn more about this ever since I saw Dr. Hutcheson present on it at Dysphagia Research Society a few years ago, so I couldn’t wait to dive in!

Get ready to digest delicious info on this functional-outcome rating measure that YOU voted on and savor all the possibilities!🤤

Trying to identify if a voice sounds wet and why can be anything but a short task! Even after all these years, I still find myself having to push these naive thoughts aside from time to time in order to make way for more critical and higher-level thinking and reasoning, versus just relying on a sole factor😉. While there’s been a lot learned along the way from those first few “first-days”, when it comes to that wet-gurgly, “underwater” sound that we might often find ourselves unconsciously listening to from across the dining room or even a restaurant, I gotta know more!!