IOPI Medical Q3 2022 Newsletter - ASHA CEUs and Online Conference!

The first days of summer have finally brought us sunshine and... balmy temps in the 60s! You've got to love a PNW summer. All joking aside, anything is better than the 113°F (45°C) we experienced last year!

It won’t be long before each IOPIian takes some time out for a little R&R. But make no mistake, we’re working harder than ever to continue growing our global presence and domestic offerings all while maintaining the quality and reliability you have come to trust.

This quarter we are bringing news of IOPI ASHA CEUs, information on the next ASHA Online Conference: Controversies and Consensus in Dysphagia Management, and as always, helpful resources and articles. Our Spring newsletter highlighted articles related to sarcopenic dysphagia. Because understanding the impact of sarcopenia on swallowing is a relatively new area of study, and due to the affect it may have on the population we treat, we are featuring additional articles on the topic.

Don’t forget to visit our always-evolving website. We are continuing to make improvements, giving you the opportunity to interact with our IOPI staff, Patient Advocacy tools, and Covid-19 resources. You can also follow us on Twitter (@iopimedical) & Facebook (IOPI Medical LLC) for the latest news and information.

We love a good story! Particularly when it involves your patients and how they are implementing the IOPI to improve their quality of life. Unfortunately, with conference participation on hold for now, we no longer get to hear these stories like we once did. We miss them!!

If you have a story and would be willing to share with us, we would love to hear it. You can share as little or as much information as you and your patient are comfortable with. Please reach out to us either via email, info@iopimedical.com or phone, 425-549-0139 to share your patient stories.

These stories would be a great morale boost for our team, and if given permission by you, would be wonderful to share in future newsletters and on social media.

To help you achieve the greatest level of success for your patients, we continue to provide you with the necessary Purchasing Advocacy tools, as well as clinical support.

Our Purchasing Advocacy tools can be found on our Medical Professionals page. Here, you will find our IOPI Dysphagia Cost Tool as well as a ready to use Benefits of IOPI for Dysphagia PowerPoint. Just populate it with information specific to your patient’s needs.

You also have clinical support at your fingertips. Our clinical consultant, Ed M. Bice, M.Ed., CCC-SLP is available to mentor through the advocacy process to assess and report the estimated cost of dysphagia to your facility. You can reach Ed for a patient consultation or clinical question by calling (844)-844-IOPI or emailing ed@iopimedical.com.

As many of you have already experienced, our webinars are another fantastic resource.

We currently have one date left for the Live version of IOPI 101: Introduction to the IOPI System on July 11th at 9:30am PT, and offer an On-Demand version of this webinar and our previous webinar, Advocacy for IOPI Products in Your Dysphagia Program. We are not currently scheduling any future dates for Live webinars as we will be focusing on the previously-mentioned ASHA CEU course. So exciting!

If you are interested in registering for a Live or On-Demand webinar, please click the button below.

Be sure to register for the next ASHA online conference, running from August 3 through the 15th. Among the stellar line-up of presenters is our very own clinical consultant, Ed Bice!

In this online conference, different perspectives on critical issues in dysphagia management will be presented. Hear different perspectives, evidence, and preferred practices for person-centered care. Learn to incorporate all three aspects of evidence-based practice—emerging research, clinical expertise, and patient/family perspectives—in your decision-making. Walk away with the essential information you need to maximize patient outcomes.

To register, please click the button below.

A Newly Discovered Tendon Between the Genioglossus Muscle and Epiglottic Cartilage Identified by Histological Observation of the Pre-Epiglottic Space

Kitamura K, Watanabe T, Yamamoto M, Ishikawa N, Kasahara N, Abe S, Yamamoto H. A Newly Discovered Tendon Between the Genioglossus Muscle and Epiglottic Cartilage Identified by Histological Observation of the Pre-Epiglottic Space. Dysphagia. 2022 Jun 9. doi: 10.1007/s00455-022-10469-7. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35678869.

The anatomical mechanism of epiglottic inversion is difficult to explain. Inadequate structural identification may contribute to the lack of understanding. Although studies have shown that tongue root movement plays a role in epiglottic retroversion, only a few investigations examine the attachment of the lingual muscles to the epiglottis. In this cadaver study, researchers a tendon continuing from the posterior part of the genioglossus muscle and attaching to the center of the epiglottic cartilage. The scientists named it the glossoepiglottic tendon. It appears the hyoepiglottic ligament has a two-layer structure consisting of an upper fiber bundle connected to the genioglossus muscle and a lower fiber bundle attached to the hyoid bone. Sustained contraction of the posterior part of the genioglossus muscle, therefore, places the epiglottis under persistent traction, suggesting that its relaxation may contribute to epiglottic inversion.

If you are interested in reading this article, please click the button below.

With 18 years of research using the IOPI, it can be difficult to choose only a few articles to share with you. To narrow the field a bit, we choose a specific topic to focus on in each newsletter. For this quarter, as we did with spring, we have chosen articles related specifically to sarcopenic dysphagia and have provided you with three more relevant pieces.

“Sarcopenic dysphagia” is a swallowing impairment caused by the loss of mass and strength of swallowing muscles in aging. Sarcopenia and dysphagia are conditions associated with frailty and their coexistence could lead to dehydration and malnutrition. Proper assessment and management of sarcopenic dysphagia is important to improving the health and quality of life in the aging population. This newsletter highlights a few recent articles on the topic.

The articles below are only a small fraction of the number of IOPI-related studies in general. You can find many more, covering a variety of topics, by visiting https://iopimedical.com/studies/ or clicking the button at the end of the section.

Sarcopenic Dysphagia: A Narrative Review from Diagnosis to Intervention

Chen K-C, Jeng Y, Wu W-T, Wang T-G, Han D-S, Özçakar L, Chang K-V. Sarcopenic Dysphagia: A Narrative Review from Diagnosis to Intervention. Nutrients. 2021; 13(11):4043.

https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13114043

Sarcopenia is a gradual decline in muscle mass, strength, and physical function. Age-related changes without other specific pathologies are a primary cause. Secondary sarcopenia refers to a decline caused by systemic disease. Health outcomes associated with sarcopenia are increased mortality, and extended hospitalization Swallowing-related muscles can be impacted in this population, often leading to malnutrition in older patients. Currently, there is no gold standard for diagnosing sarcopenic dysphagia. This article aimed to summarize the diagnostic criteria and tools comprehensively. Interventions are also discussed.

Diagnosis of Sarcopenic Dysphagia in the Elderly: Critical Review and Future Perspectives

Abu-Ghanem S, Graf A, Govind J. Diagnosis of Sarcopenic Dysphagia in the Elderly: Critical Review and Future Perspectives. Dysphagia. 2021 Sep 17. doi: 10.1007/s00455-021-10371-8. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34535803.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34535803/

The literature provides suggestions for Diagnostic criteria for sarcopenic dysphagia. However, there is variability in the instruments and cut-off scores used. The review attempts to evaluate tools used to diagnose sarcopenic dysphagia critically. The article reviews many tools; however, further research is required to validate diagnostics and their role in screening dysphagia due to sarcopenia.

Nutritional Management Enhances the Recovery of Swallowing Ability in Older Patients with Sarcopenic Dysphagia

Shimizu A, Fujishima I, Maeda K, Wakabayashi H, Nishioka S, Ohno T, Nomoto A, Kayashita J, Mori N, The Japanese Working Group On Sarcopenic Dysphagia. Nutritional Management Enhances the Recovery of Swallowing Ability in Older Patients with Sarcopenic Dysphagia. Nutrients. 2021 Feb 11;13(2):596. doi: 10.3390/nu13020596. PMID: 33670314; PMCID: PMC7917588.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33670314/

The study assessed the impact of a high-energy diet for one week in 110 patients with sarcopenic dysphagia to improve swallowing ability and activities of daily living. The study included a control group who consumed a diet without enhancement. The assessment included the Food Intake Level Scale (FILS) and the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). The FILS and FIM were significantly higher in the group provided an enhanced diet at discharge. Although the study did not confirm the presence of swallowing pathophysiology but used diet as a surrogate, the findings suggest that a high-energy diet may improve outcomes for patients with sarcopenic dysphagia.