本研究探討呼吸及喉部聲學信號在臨床吞嚥評估之用途。要確保有正常及安全的進食，呼吸及吞嚥功能的協調非常重要；如果兩者缺乏協調，極可能會產生吸入現象，嚴重的話會造成肺部疾病甚至危害生命安全。然而研究顯示，有百分之四十的吞嚥障礙病人在臨床吞嚥評估中無法察覺他們有吸入現象，所以引發研究者找尋不同的臨床吞嚥評估工具，以便更有效、正確及客觀地指出吞嚥吸入的現象。為了更加瞭解呼吸和吞嚥之間的協調及更容易測出吸入之臨床評估工具，此研究應用血氧機、聽診器和鼻套管來測量吞嚥障礙病患的進食、呼吸協調及吸入現象。受測者為五十位吞嚥正常成人及五十位有吸入吞嚥障礙病患。血氧機、聽診器和鼻套管所蒐集的呼吸及喉部聲帶信號用來瞭解兩組受測者呼吸及吞嚥之間的協調。同時將病患的呼吸及喉部聲帶信號與電視螢光攝檢查時結果作比較。本研究將有助於瞭解呼吸跟吞嚥過程的關係，更重要的是瞭解呼吸及喉部聲帶信號在臨床探測吸入現象的功用，以便提高病患生活品質。
This study investigates the usage of respiratory and acoustic swallowing signals at bedside swallowing examination. For a normal and safely swallow, coordination of breathing and swallowing functions are crucial. Lack of this coordination may lead individual at risk for aspiration that may result in a variety of pulmonary complications and even death. Yet, studies have shown that about 40% of patients with swallowing disorders are silent aspirators who are not detected at bedside swallowing examination. In recent research, therefore, investigators have searched for alternate and additional bedside tools to increase the sensitivity and specificity of bedside swallow examination, especially in detecting aspiration. Hence, to advance our understanding of the coordination of respiration and swallowing, and thereby better bedside tools for swallowing examination, pulse oximetry, respiratory nasal cannula, and stethoscopic laryngeal microphone were incorporated in this study. Fifty normal adult subjects and fifty patients with aspiration were recruited in this study. The respiratory signals from both the pulse oximetry and respiratory nasal cannula, and the acoustic swallowing signals from the stethoscopic laryngeal microphone were collected and analyzed. In addition, the respiratory and acoustic results from the patients with aspiration were compared with their videofluoroscopic evaluation. Results from this investigation will provide better understanding of the coordination of respiratory and swallowing, more specifically, 1.the role of respiratory and acoustic signals at bedside swallowing examination, 2, potential tools for detecting aspiration at bedside swallowing examination and consequently 3.increase the life quality of dysphagic patients.
