Pico Research Papers

Mrs. Newman has been experiencing hoarseness and a change in her voice, but she did not seek medical help until she began to have difficulty swallowing. After being seen by her healthcare provider, she is scheduled for outpatient surgery for a direct laryngoscope to obtain a culture and take a biopsy.

Riley, P., Glenny, A. M., Worthington, H. V., Littlewood, A., Clarkson, J. E., & McCabe, M. G. (2015). Interventions for preventing oral mucositis in patients with cancer receiving treatment: oral cryotherapy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (12), 1-96. Retrieved from DOI:

18. Which item would be most beneficial when providing oral care to a patient with metastatic cancer who is at risk for oral tissue injury secondary to chemotherapy?

Participants in this study performed two types of tasks: chest wall maneuvers and speech breathing activities. The chest wall tasks consisted of many different maneuvers, including isovolume, vital capacity, rib cage capacity, abdominal capacity, and relaxation maneuvers. Isovolume maneuvers were conducted, in which the participant displaced volume back and forth from the abdomen to the rib cage with a closed larynx. In vital capacity maneuvers, the participant inspired maximally from resting expiratory level then expired maximally. The minimum and maximum rib cage volumes during the vital capacity maneuver determined rib cage capacity maneuvers, and abdominal capacity maneuvers consisted of the range of abdominal volumes while the participant held their breath. Lastly, relaxation maneuvers were performed in which the participant completely relaxed the chest wall muscles while keeping their larynx closed. Speech breathing activities consisted of two measures: extemporaneous speech and reading speech. For the extemporaneous speech activity, the participant spoke 10 to 20 breath groups about the topic of his choice. For the reading speech activity, the participant read a 12-sentence

While I was aware of fiberoptic endoscopic evaluations of swallowing (FEES), I had never experienced one. What an experience it was. Integrating the knowledge previously learned in class, to a useful examination tool in our field was in incredible learning experience. I believe the entire class would agree with that statement. It provided me with a unique learning experience.

The study enrolled 306 recent stroke victims with dysphagia, as defined by the WHO standards. The participants were split into groups of 102 that was randomly assigned by a computer generated program to remove bias. The three groups consisted of “usual care”, “low intensity care”, and “high intensity care”. Before carrying out therapy, all participants were given a videofluoroscopy as baseline data. One baseline data was carried out, the different groups started treatment. The low/high intensity care consisted of swallowing compensation strategies, (upright position while eating), appropriate dietary modifications (thickening of liquid food), and the teaching of safe swallowing techniques ( reduced rate of eating). The two experimental groups only differed by the amount of sessions per week. The low intensity group was seen 3 times a week for 1 month, and the high intensity group was seen every working day for 1 month.

Dysphagia is a disorder that is characterized by difficulty swallowing, causing aspiration which, in result, causes many other life threatening sicknesses. Nearly 15 million adults in the United States are affected by dysphagia. Dysphagia and aspiration may cause complications such as malnutrition, pneumonia, dehydration, pulmonary fibrosis, and even death (Blumenfeld, Hahn, Lepage, Leonard, & Belafsky, 2006). Another common illness related to swallowing disorders is presbyphagia. Presbyphagia is when the function of swallowing changes as one ages (Pede, Mantovani, Felice, & Masiero, 2015). This disorder affects both the oropharyngeal and esophageal phases of swallowing; oropharyngeal and esophageal are terms that can be operationalized

To effectively investigate the question, research was established using CINAHL as the main database of research. Cochrane was yielded for research results, but CINAHL yielded more results than Cochrane. Yet still, even with this, the results found on CINAHL showed no articles that compared CoughAssist and regular suction, in relation with amount of patient suctioning. As such, other articles with similar research angles were utilized to answer the question. This resulted in five articles which help one to make an inference on how CoughAssist may help reduce amount of suction needed by a patient.

According to the Chattanooga Group, a therapeutical device manufacturer, “Dysphagia… impacts as many as 15 million Americans, with approximately one million people receiving a new diagnosis of the condition” (Dysphasia). Dysphasia can occur when one of the swallowing stages is weak, such as the tongue. Food will enter the throat and stop air from entering the lungs. Unfortunately, 1 out of 17 people will have some type of dysphasia at some point. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that the amount of deaths from liver, kidney, and HIV/AIDS diseases is less than the amount from dysphagia. More than 60,000 people succumb to aspiration pneumonia, or when food enters the lungs. The Veterans Affairs (VA) reported that, in senior citizens, pneumonia from dysphagia is “the fifth leading cause of death of Americans over the age of 65”, and up to 90% of people with Parkinson’s disease or ALS will have dysphagia

To recall, a glossectomy is the surgical removal of all or a part of one’s tongue, typically due to cancer. These cancerous growths can either be directly on the tongue or can arise from cancers cells from other areas, such as the floor of the mouth, other regions of the mouth, or the throat. Preparations need to be made for changes in the way the patient will speak and swallow. The degree in which the adjustments will need to be made is dependent on many different considerations, such as the amount of the tongue being removed, the location where the tongue is removed (such as toward the base of the tongue), and what methods of reconstruction are approached.

In the United States, there are 60,000 new cases of throat cancer reported a year. My family is part of that statistic. Four years ago, my great-grandfather, Juan, was diagnosed with throat cancer. Unlike the normal prognosis, he passed away just 5 months after he was diagnosed.

Out of 172 patients, 24 patients were treated with proton pump inhibitors and/or prokinetic therapy and 10 patients reported a reduction in cough. When these 10 patients who responded to GERD therapy in addition to CVA were removed from analysis, dysmotility symptoms still remained a significant predictor of the impairment of cough specific QoL.

The management of oesophageal CD requires close collaboration between physicians, surgeons, nurses, dieticians and counselors. The aim of treatment in CD is to achieve relief of symptoms, promote mucosal healing and once this target has been reached, it is important to maintain the remission. The longer the periods of remission and less the frequency of attacks, the better will be the patients’ quality of life. As the treatment options become more varied, we should keep in mind that the therapy should be suited to the patient’s particular

Of 37 cases, 9 cases occurred in major salivary glands, with eight occurrences in the parotid region - 1 PA, 1 Adenolymphoma & 6 Acinic cell adenocarcinoma (AcADCC) and one in submandibular region- 1 Polymorphous low grade adenocarcinoma (PLGA). Of 37 cases, 28 cases occurred in minor salivary glands, with palate being the most commonly affected site by both benign (63.63%) and malignant tumors (58%).

Another problem that arises in head and neck patients is that of malnutrition and weight loss. They are particularly at risk of developing nutritional problems. Many patients with head and neck cancer have histories of high alcohol intake, tobacco use and poor dietary habits. Malnutrition often when alcohol is involved. Patients nutritional needs should be assessed and patients at high risk of