Pneumonia, Aspiration
Conditions
Keywords
Deglutition Disorders, Dementia, Parkinson Disease, Pneumonia, Aspiration
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to determine whether chin-down posture or use of a thickened liquid diet is more effective in the prevention of aspiration and aspiration pneumonia in patients with Parkinson's disease and/or dementia. Liquid aspiration is the most common type of aspiration in older populations, especially those suffering from debilitation, dementia, and depression. Pneumonia may develop as a consequence of aspiration and is the fifth leading cause of death in the US among persons age 65 years and over. Current treatment involves either use of chin-down position with swallowing or use of thickened liquids in the diet, without any clear evidence supporting the use of one treatment over the other. This is a Phase III inpatient and/or outpatient study in which all participants will be randomly assigned to either the chin-down position or the thickened liquid treatment group based on swallowing function during a modified barium swallow. This study is scheduled to recruit patients for a three-year period; participation by each individual patient spans no more than three months after entry.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALChin-down position
BEHAVIORALThickened liquid administration
Sponsors
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
50 Years to 95 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Have dementia or Parkinson's disease and are found to aspirate on thin liquid during a set of qualifying swallows.
Exclusion criteria
* Have smoked more than a pack of cigarettes per day in the last year. * Drink more than 3 alcoholic beverages per day on a regular basis. * Have had any head and neck cancer treatment. * Have any head and neck anatomic deformities. * Have a history of 20 years or longer of insulin-dependent diabetes. * Have other exclusionary neurologic diagnoses. * Have had pneumonia within 6 weeks of screening. * Currently have a nasogastric tube. * Currently have a tracheotomy. * Are a resident in non-participating nursing home or assisted living environment. * Live alone. * Have no regular care provider present at meals. * Have no Speech-Language Pathologist to provide a 3-month follow-up.
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed