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DiagnosTEX May 2017 Newsletter

May 01, 2017 Posted by: Ronda Polanksy Newsletters

 

DiagnosTEX Clinical Café Newsletter

May 2017

By: Ronda Polansky M.S. CCC-SLP

 

MAY IS BETTER SPEECH AND HEARING MONTH

Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers!

Happy Memorial Day!

Remember our men and women (including moms) that have sacrificed ALL to fight and maintain our freedom!

Hug a Mom and a Veteran this month, whether it is yours or not!

 

 

MAY is Better Speech and Hearing Month –This annual event provides opportunities to raise awareness about communication disorders and to promote treatment that can improve the quality of life for those who experience problems with speaking, understanding, or hearing. ASHA has many resources to help you celebrate BHSM every day at www.asha.org . Some good educational material to share can also be found in the booklet ABOVE and BEYOND. ON SALE IN MAY!

ABOVE and BEYOND By: Ronda Polansky M.S. CCC-SLP– Patient, Caregiver, and Healthcare Professional Educational Reference Sheets and Handouts for Effective Dysphagia Rehabilitation.  Over 30 handouts on specific disorders in dysphagia in ONE location to use in your practice, plus a resource section for SLP’s on cranial nerve testing, pharyngeal exercises, and treatment techniques. A need to have booklet in your therapy bag!!   Cost: $45.00. (plus S&H). Call us, and we will get one out to you! BSHM SALE = $35.00 (plus tax and S & H)

DVD – What You Can Not See at Bedside – Copies of MBSS studies for education of staff and families on various disorders and clear episodes of penetrations and aspirations. Cost – $40.00 (plus S & H). Great educational tool for anyone! BSHM SALE = $30.00 (plus tax and S & H)

ASHA has some resources to celebrate too – The BHSM store offers an extensive product line with fun new items as well as returning favorites, all featuring the 2017 tagline. Educate! – ASHA has free resources to help boost public awareness. They include press templates, coloring pages, bookmarks, social media images, and more. To download these materials, visit the Better Hearing & Speech Month 2017 webpage. This year, there will be four different weekly themes so everyone can get involved. Check the site regularly for new materials and information.

New DiagnosTEX Educational Handout for BSHM – It is just a Phase! The Normal Adult Swallow Physiology.   Get yours this month when we see you next! This is helpful to educate students, patients and families.

 

May CEU Opportunities:

DiagnosTEX CEU course coming in MAY for Better Speech and Hearing Month on Friday May 5, 2017. Vital Signs – Resuscitating Law, Ethics and Morality in Dysphagia Evaluation and Treatment Call DiagnosTEX to register! We are almost FULL!  Hope to see you there!

 

Deciphering Dysphagia with Ampcare’s ESP – Friday May 19th in Fort Worth, Texas. Go to www.ampcarellc.com/esp-ce-training to register. Earn 0.8 ASHA CEUs

 

DiagnosTEX Holiday – Memorial Day – DiagnosTEX will not be operating vans on Monday May 29th, but will run all vans Tuesday through Friday that week.  Please keep this in mind when scheduling your MBSS around that time.  We have veterans working for DiagnosTEX.   We honor them, any others who have served, and those who are currently sacrificing for our freedom! We also remember those who paid the ultimate price for our country and our freedom today!  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all the veterans who served and are serving our country and everything we stand for!

 

We are excited to announce that DiagnosTEX has a new website under construction! Launch date TBD

 

DiagnosTEX newsletters will start featuring local SLP’s each month soon! We might chose you! J

We will contact each featured SLP for their approval and to complete a short interview. We want to acknowledge SLP’s in the local area that partner with DiagnosTEX for quality dysphagia evaluation and treatment.

 

DiagnosTEX QA results for 2016 – We saw 408 patients in the month of October. Sixty-seven percent (67%) were recommended PO diets and 27% were recommended NPO. Of those that aspirated during the MBSS, 82% were silent aspirators. Esophageal dysphagia was identified in 43% of the patients.  Of those given a PO diet, 81% had some form of compensatory strategy/facilitative technique implemented to ensure safe and efficient PO.  Discharge rate after MBSS and treatment was 60% and 40% of treatment utilized was a form of NMES. Very interesting stats!!!

 

Dysphagia Tidbit – Useful tips for cuff deflation on tracheostomy tubes

  1. Cuff deflation should be performed at a very slow rate that allows for the patient’s airway to adjust to the stimulation of airflow. Periodic may be necessary
  2. If the cuff is full deflated and no air can pass to the upper airway, the outer diameter of the tube is likely too large or there is an obstruction above.
  3. Observe for swallowing prior to cuff deflation and then during and after cuff deflation. Lack of swallowing with the cuff inflated with resumption of swallowing during or after deflation suggests sensory loss in the inflated condition due to lack of pressure and flow to the upper airway.
  4. Cuff deflation enlarges the airway, because the patient can then breathe through and around the tube.
  5. When a tube is downsized, the patient has more room to breathe around the tube.
  6. Copious secretions that develop over time may be the result of decreased sensation and swallowing frequency from cuff inflation.
  7. The cuff is not intended to hold the tracheostomy tube in place, the neckties hold the tube in place.
  8. When a manometer is not available, use the minimal leak technique to assure that the cuff is not overinflated.
  9. Typically it should not be considered unsafe to exhale through the upper airway. Cuff deflation and speaking valve placement enable a patient to return to a normal state.  Follow us on
  11. (Reference for Tracheostomy Tubes and Speaking Valves. R. Gross NSS, 2016)