Patients who are unable to eat or drink as a result of swallowing difficulties can now avail of the most cutting-edge treatment available at Cork University Hospital (CUH).
The new digital swallowing station, which is the first of its kind in the Republic, is providing patients with access to much improved diagnostics and treatment plans.
Patients who cannot eat or drink suffer from a condition called dysphagia, a swallowing disorder which is managed by speech and language therapists.
Swallowing difficulties are sometimes caused by stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's disease and childhood cerebral palsy.
Until recently, therapists had to rely on "bedside" assessment of the oral stage of swallowing (what happens as soon as the food enters the mouth) and the pharyngeal stage (what happens during the act of swallowing).
However, this process has now been automated at CUH with the purchase of the full three components of the digital swallowing station. The department of speech and therapy at CUH says it is currently the only department in the Republic with the entire system.
Speech and language therapy manager with HSE South, Tricia Diamond, said the work station was basically a one-stop-shop for the management of swallowing.
The station includes a video- fluoroscopy component which provides a 'motion picture' X-ray of the swallow and a swallowing signal component which provides visual feedback of muscle movement during swallowing.
Therapists are being trained in the Fibreoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallow (FEES) component of the station which enables visualisation of the swallow as it occurs as a scope is passed through the nose into the throat.
"Patients can often find it difficult to understand why they are not allowed food by mouth or a normal diet. Eating and drinking is such a basic, social activity and it can be very upsetting to be told they are allowed nil by mouth or have to have a modified diet," she said.
"This integrated system allows them to see exactly what is happening when they swallow and this helps them to understand the nature of their difficulties better," said Ms Diamond.
The system also allows therapists to develop a more effective treatment plan for remediation of patients by obtaining a detailed description of their swallowing problems.
Ms Diamond notes: "In a recent example, a man in his 20s experienced a sudden deterioration of his swallow, during which he was unable to eat or drink. With videofluoroscopy he could see the food and drinks physically going down 'the wrong way'.
"Surface electromyography [ SEMG] was used and he is eating and drinking today."