The Study Of Efficacy Of Vitalstim Electrical Stimulation-swallowing Training On Dysphagia After Stroke

Objective: To study the efficacy of Vitalstim electrical stimulation-swallowing training on dysphagia after stroke and the efficacy evaluation methods.Methods: 104 stroke patients with dysphagia hospitalized in Neurology Department of Dong’e County People’s Hospital during October, 2013 to May, 2014 were studied, including 75 males and 29 females. Their ages range from 47 to 88 years with average age as 66.76+ 10.66. They are all confirmed to be patients with intracerebral hemorrhage or infarction by brain CT/MRI examination, non-stroke resulted swallowing dysfunction, important organ failure, stroke patients in critical condition, local neck lesions are all excluded, such as thyroid disease, local ulcer patients, unstable blood pressure(>180/120 mm Hg) included after back to normal, and patients that cannot cope led by variety of causes. All patients were divided into two groups randomly, treatment group and control group(n=52). There is no statically significant difference in sex, age, diagnosis and disease condition. All patients underwent depression Tins water swallowing evaluation trials. The stroke type,lesion site, history of hypertension, coronary heart disease(CHD),history of diabetes, and stroke were recorded. The control group received simply swallowing therapy training. The treatment group use the Vitalstim electrical stimulation therapy combined with swallowing therapy training.Following 30 minutes Vitalstim electrical stimulation therapy patients then received swallowing therapy training.Vitalstim electrical stimulation therapy device: using the biphasic wave put the electrode paste on the patient’s neck, and the current intensity was set to the maximum intensity that patient can tolerate, 30 min each time, once a day,6 days for a course, take a day off before the second course. The swallowing function was evaluated by depression Tins water swallowing test, before and after treatment. The data got above were analyzed to determine the difference is statistically significant or not usingt test,x2 test and Mann-Whitney test,that means whether Vitalstim electrical stimulation-swallowing training is better than simply swallowing therapy.Results: The sex, age, duration and type of disease, lesion site, history of hypertension, coronary heart disease,history of diabetes, and stroke and swallowing function of both group of patients were compared before treatment and there is no statistically significant difference(P>0.05); the duration of cured or effective patients from both groups was compared, the results showed that the duration is shorter for cured or effective ones from treatment group(P<0.05); Tins water swallowing evaluation trials were conducted and the swallowing function of all patients from two groups was greatly improved, and the general efficacy of treatment group is better than control group(P<0.05); there is no statistically significant difference(P>0.05) in complications of pneumonia of both groups; furthermore, there is no difference in the efficacy for true bulbar paralysis patients from both groups patients(P>0.05); however, the efficacy for supranuclear paralysis patients is better in the treatment group, and the general efficiency is higher in treatment group than that of control group(P<0.05)Conclusions: Both Vitalstim electrical stimulation-swallowing training and simply swallowing therapy can effectively improve dysphagia after stroke. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that Vitalstim electrical stimulation-swallowing training therapy is more effective to dysphagia after stroke.