The treatment of dysphagia at Kyorin University Hospital

Abstract

Kyorin University Hospital is a central medical center in the western district of Tokyo, which includes an Advanced Emergency Care Center, and has been actively working on hyperacute medicine. Early ambulation and oral feeding are encouraged in patients in the acute stage and patients with good outcomes undergo a functional assessment and rehabilitation around one week after receiving early treatment. Such in-hospital procedures were performed in 640 patients in 2007 and 436 of them were assessed for their feeding and swallowing function. The ST of the Rehabilitation Unit performed a screening test for aspiration and trained the patients regarding feeding and swallowing before oral feeding in patients in the acute stage. However, some patients should be assessed for detailed laryngeal and swallowing functions. Therefore, a clinic for swallowing and speech has recently been established in the Otolaryngology Department, to provide an “early assessment of dysphagia by ST” and an “assessment of the laryngeal and swallowing functions by an otolaryngologist”. Consequently, the clinic utilizes a team approach regarding the treatment of dysphagia. This system was introduced for the treatment of dysphagia for inpatients and has also been extended to community healthcare including cooperation between hospitals and clinics.