2015 Volume 19 Issue 2 Pages 152-157
We used an existing suction catheter inducer to carry out tube swallowing training easily and safely in a patient with both bite reflex and tongue thrust reflex. The patient was a 57-year-old male who had suffered subarachnoid hemorrhage and subsequently developed hydrocephalus and cerebral infarction. Consciousness disturbance, dysphagia and motor disturbance in the trunk and limbs were prolonged in spite of ventriculo-peritoneal shunt operation. Tube swallowing training in this patient did not proceed successfully, because he had a strong bite reflex and a tongue thrust reflex. We used the existing suction catheter inducer in the mouth to protect the tube from bite and to depress the tongue, in combination with the K-point stimulation technique to open the jaw. This allowed us to perform tube swallowing training easily and safely.
We consider that applying the existing suction catheter inducer made it easy to introduce tube swallowing training, even in this patient with strong bite reflex and tongue thrust reflex.
