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Effect Of Vitalstim In Patients With Chronic Post-stroke Oropharyngeal Dysphagia

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Deglutition Disorders
Stroke
Interventions
Behavioral: standard clinical care
Device: transcutaneous electrical stimulation at motor level
Device: transcutaneous electrical stimulation at sensory level
Registration Number
NCT02379182
Lead Sponsor
Pere Clave
Brief Summary

Prospective, randomized, controlled, three-arm, open-label, blinded analysis. Patients admitted with stroke diagnosis and with suspected dysphagia that meet the initial inclusion and exclusion criteria will be consented into the clinical investigation. Patients who meet the second set of inclusion criteria (dysphagia confirmed by VFS) will be randomized to either active (motor or sensory) or standard treatment (control group) arms.

Subjects included in this clinical investigation will be evaluated at screening, 1-week, 3-months and at 12-months post treatment.

The main aim of the study will be to assess the effect of VitalStim therapy on improving the safety of swallow according to the VFS, after the treatment and at 1-year follow up, on patients with chronic post-stroke OD.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
90
Inclusion Criteria
  • Subject is over 18 years of age.
  • Subject is suspected of having oropharyngeal dysphagia.
  • Subject is able to comply with videofluoroscopy protocol.
  • Subject diagnosed with stroke.
  • Subject has no previous history of dysphagia.
  • Subjects who are able to give voluntary, written informed consent to participate in the clinical investigation and from whom consent has been obtained/ or a consultee has consented on the subjects behalf in line with nationally agreed guidelines concerning adults unable to consent for themselves.
  • Subject is not currently participating in any other interventional clinical study.
  • Subject is able to comply with the protocol requirements
  • Subject scores 0 or 1 on question 1a of NIHSS

Randomization Inclusion Criteria:

• Subject has confirmed dysphagia (PAS of 2 or more on VFS screening or pharyngeal residue).

Exclusion Criteria
  • Subject stroke event occurred less than 3 months ago.
  • Subject is pregnant or a nursing mother.
  • Subject, in the opinion of the investigator, has advanced dementia
  • Subject fitted with a pacemaker or implantable cardiac defibrillator
  • Subject is dysphagic from conditions other than stroke
  • Subject has been diagnosed with a progressive neurological disorder, such as Parkinson's disease or Multiple Sclerosis.
  • Subject with active neoplasm or infection process.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Motor Grouptranscutaneous electrical stimulation at motor levelPatients allocated in the motor group will be treated with transcutaneous electrical stimulation at motor level. In addition, they will receive the standard clinical care of patients with dysphagia described in the control group. The treatment procedure will consist of the application, at rest, of 80 Hz of transcutaneous electrical stimulus (biphasic, 700 µs) using VitalStim device (Chattanooga Group, Hixson, TN, USA), 2 sessions of 1 hour per day the first week, and 1 hour per day the next week. Sessions will be applied from Monday to Friday for two weeks. Treatment intensity will be set to the motor threshold and electrode placement, supra-hyoid. The motor threshold will be determined by triplicate, as the intensity level at which the patient reports a grabbing or pulling sensation and confirmed by the clinician. Every 10 min, the patient will be asked if the initial sensation is maintained and, if necessary, treatment intensity will be re-adjusted.
Control groupstandard clinical careWill not receive any treatment procedure. Patients allocated in the control group will be treated according to the standard clinical care of patients with dysphagia at our center, that includes: adaptation of fluids, diet and oral hygiene recommendations, and postural and swallowing maneuvers training if necessary.
Sensory Grouptranscutaneous electrical stimulation at sensory levelPatients allocated in the sensory group will be treated with transcutaneous electrical stimulation at sensory level. In addition, they will receive the standard clinical care described in the control group. The treatment procedure will consist of the application, at rest, of 80 Hz of transcutaneous electrical stimulus (biphasic, 700 µs) using VitalStim device (Chattanooga Group, Hixson, TN, USA), 2 sessions of 1 hour per day the first week, and 1 hour per day the next week. Sessions will be applied for two weeks. Treatment intensity will be set to 75% of motor threshold and electrode placement, thyro-hyoid (placement 3a described in the VitalStim Certification Program). The motor threshold will be determined by triplicate, as the intensity level at which the patient reports a grabbing or pulling sensation and confirmed by the clinician. Every 10 min, the patient will be asked if the initial sensation is maintained and, if necessary, treatment intensity will be re-adjusted.
Motor Groupstandard clinical carePatients allocated in the motor group will be treated with transcutaneous electrical stimulation at motor level. In addition, they will receive the standard clinical care of patients with dysphagia described in the control group. The treatment procedure will consist of the application, at rest, of 80 Hz of transcutaneous electrical stimulus (biphasic, 700 µs) using VitalStim device (Chattanooga Group, Hixson, TN, USA), 2 sessions of 1 hour per day the first week, and 1 hour per day the next week. Sessions will be applied from Monday to Friday for two weeks. Treatment intensity will be set to the motor threshold and electrode placement, supra-hyoid. The motor threshold will be determined by triplicate, as the intensity level at which the patient reports a grabbing or pulling sensation and confirmed by the clinician. Every 10 min, the patient will be asked if the initial sensation is maintained and, if necessary, treatment intensity will be re-adjusted.
Sensory Groupstandard clinical carePatients allocated in the sensory group will be treated with transcutaneous electrical stimulation at sensory level. In addition, they will receive the standard clinical care described in the control group. The treatment procedure will consist of the application, at rest, of 80 Hz of transcutaneous electrical stimulus (biphasic, 700 µs) using VitalStim device (Chattanooga Group, Hixson, TN, USA), 2 sessions of 1 hour per day the first week, and 1 hour per day the next week. Sessions will be applied for two weeks. Treatment intensity will be set to 75% of motor threshold and electrode placement, thyro-hyoid (placement 3a described in the VitalStim Certification Program). The motor threshold will be determined by triplicate, as the intensity level at which the patient reports a grabbing or pulling sensation and confirmed by the clinician. Every 10 min, the patient will be asked if the initial sensation is maintained and, if necessary, treatment intensity will be re-adjusted.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in Penetration-Aspiration scoresbaseline and 1 year
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Time from randomisation to death1 year
Change in pharyngeal residue prevalence1 year
Incidence of all adverse events1 year
Change in EAT-10 scores1 year
Frequency of chest infections1 year

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Hospital de Mataró

🇪🇸

Mataró, Barcelona, Spain

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