Since the launch of our Series 3 Pro & Trainer devices back in 2017, our customers have purchased around 4,000 devices! Stop for a minute and think about what this means. What it looks like. Think about how many people’s lives have been changed by the care you have given and your drive to provide your patients with the best by implementing the use of an IOPI.

Typically, it’s not just one patient per device, but let’s keep it conservative, looking at just our Pro device with about 3,100 out in the field. Let’s say each clinician we sell to uses an IOPI Pro on two new patients per week, 8 per month. That’s 96 a year. That 96 a year multiplied by 3,100 Pros for a potential total of 297,600 patients helped by an IOPI per year. And that’s just so far! As we continue to grow year after year, reaching more and more medical professionals and patients, how many more lives can we change together? It’s pretty amazing.

Our Clinical Consultant, Ed Bice shares his own recent experience with a patient in our Clinician Corner segment below. We dare you to read it without tearing up. We couldn’t!

Many of you may already be familiar with our esteemed Clinical Consultant, Ed Bice, but did you know, you can learn from him from the comfort of your office or home? IOPI Medical offers ASHA Continuing Education Units with our two FREE courses.

The Role of Oral Musculature in Swallowing and the Therapeutic Benefits of the IOPI, will review the oral musculature and its essential functions, as well as explore exercise principles and how the IOPI can be integrated into a dysphagia treatment plan.

Our second course, Research Update, summarizes recent findings related to the IOPI.

Click the button below to register!

As we celebrate special occasions throughout the year, food takes on a central role. Is there anything more meaningful than sitting with family and friends and enjoying conversation while partaking in food and drink that causes us to reflect on traditions and the memory of people we have celebrated and loved? For many, the experience is hampered by their swallowing abilities. While clinicians are focused on the safety and efficiency of swallowing, this may not be the primary concern for individuals with swallowing disorders. A patient recently reminded me of the impact of my response to their disorder. The individual came for an outpatient evaluation. They had a remote history of radiation for head and neck cancer. Recently, they had suffered a fall and fractured their hip. While in the hospital recovering from surgery, they developed pneumonia. The physician ordered a modified barium swallow study that revealed a typical swallow suffering the long-term effects of radiation, decreased movement of all structures resulting in residue, and airway invasion.

The person was advised that if they continued to eat and drink, they would die. The placement of a feeding tube and NPO status followed. Fast forward 8 weeks. A gaunt, depressed individual conveyed to me, "If I could just eat soup beans and drink coffee, I would be happy." (I live in rural Appalachia, where beans are a staple.) What followed was a long conversation concerning aspiration, tube feeding, late effects of radiation, and swallowing. After five weeks of treatment that included therapy with a bolus to promote motor learning and progressive resistance and "homework" that consisted of eating and drinking, the individual asked, "If I go home and just start eating, can I still come for therapy?" There was a lengthy conversation surrounding autonomy, quality of life, aspiration, and pneumonia. The answer was a resounding "yes." Moving ahead a few weeks, an energized individual walked through the door of my therapy room to report the libations and food they had consumed with their family on Thanksgiving. It was a great reminder that food and drink transcend swallowing mechanics. It was a good day.

The focus of the articles highlighted in this quarter’s newsletter investigates the perceptions and concerns of the true dysphagia experts, the people suffering from the disorder.