Swallowing Activation Using Sensory Stimulation in Patients with Severe Disorders of Consciousness
Abstract
Objective: Swallowing disorders are systematically present in patients with severe brain injury, disorders of consciousness, and subsequently poor quality of life. The study hypothesis was that taste and smell could improve swallowing function and quality of life in such patients, who are fed by gastrostomy tube. Methods: Eight patients with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome were included in this study. All patients had been in a stable state for at least 2 years, and the delay between the neurological event and the study was always more than 2 years. Strong tastes and smells were selected using the Pfister olfactory classification. Taste and smell stimulations were performed every weekday, Monday to Friday, for 1 week (5 sessions) by a speech and language therapist. Evaluation of swallowing was performed before the first session and after the fifth session, and included the number of spontaneous swallows during 10 min, the presence of drooling, and spontaneous tongue and velum mobility. Results: < 0.01). Conclusion: This clinical observation has shown that taste and smell stimulations are relevant in clinical practice to improve spontaneous swallowing.
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BibTeX
@article{prum2026swallowing,
title = {{Swallowing Activation Using Sensory Stimulation in Patients with Severe Disorders of Consciousness}},
author = {Grégoire Prum and Rémi Mallart and Margaux Beatrix and Eric Verin},
journal = {Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine - Clinical Communications},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2340/jrmcc.v5.2448},
url = {https://normandie-univ.hal.science/hal-05828628v1},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Swallowing Activation Using Sensory Stimulation in Patients with Severe Disorders of Consciousness
AU - Grégoire Prum
AU - Rémi Mallart
AU - Margaux Beatrix
AU - Eric Verin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine - Clinical Communications
DO - 10.2340/jrmcc.v5.2448
UR - https://normandie-univ.hal.science/hal-05828628v1
AB - Objective: Swallowing disorders are systematically present in patients with severe brain injury, disorders of consciousness, and subsequently poor quality of life. The study hypothesis was that taste and smell could improve swallowing function and quality of life in such patients, who are fed by gastrostomy tube. Methods: Eight patients with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome were included in this study. All patients had been in a stable state for at least 2 years, and the delay between the neurological event and the study was always more than 2 years. Strong tastes and smells were selected using the Pfister olfactory classification. Taste and smell stimulations were performed every weekday, Monday to Friday, for 1 week (5 sessions) by a speech and language therapist. Evaluation of swallowing was performed before the first session and after the fifth session, and included the number of spontaneous swallows during 10 min, the presence of drooling, and spontaneous tongue and velum mobility. Results: < 0.01). Conclusion: This clinical observation has shown that taste and smell stimulations are relevant in clinical practice to improve spontaneous swallowing.
SN - 2003-0711
ER -