Grace Bratlee
AUDSLP 581 Swallowing I
Midterm
1. Tips on Difficulty Swallowing Pills
The normal swallow involves a series of steps that aid an individual when he or she is trying to swallow a variety of substances including liquids, solid foods, and pills. When a substance (food, liquid, etc.) enters the individual’s oral cavity, saliva and mastication form the substance into a bolus. During the oral phase of a normal swallow, the tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge as the tongue pushes the bolus back into the pharynx and the pharyngeal swallow is activated. The pharyngeal phase begins as velopharyngeal closure occurs. The pharyngeal constrictor then contracts, moving the bolus down, and the hyoid and larynx elevate in order to contribute …show more content…
As individuals with dysphagia exhibit increasing difficulty to swallow pills, many people, including medical professionals, have decided to crush up various pills into pieces and sprinkle the pieces onto food to ease the swallow of a person with dysphagia. While this method works for some drugs, other drugs can cause harm when they are digested after being crushed into pieces. Crushing up certain drugs can interfere with the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the drugs; when the absorption of the drug is affected this can affect the body’s reaction to the drug (Griffith, 2016). For example, enteric-coated drugs, sustained release drugs, and sublingual drugs are types of drugs that cannot be broken into pieces. Enteric-coated drugs are coated so that they enter the stomach intact to avoid stomach irritation or destruction from stomach acid, while sublingual drugs are placed under the tongue to dissolve in oral fluids so the body can absorb them as fast as possible. Crushing up sustained release drugs can lead to extremely harmful side effects, as these drugs are released in the body over a specific period of time. When sustained release drugs are crushed up and consumed with food, this can lead to too much of the drug being absorbed at one time, leading to potential overdose. Also, when drugs are crushed and added to food, this can affect the drug’s influence on the individual because …show more content…
When people drink liquids, they may utilize a discrete swallow or a sequential swallow, but research has shown that sequential swallowing is the typical behavior of most individuals when swallowing (Daniels et al., 2004). When consecutively swallowing, individuals can regulate the amount of liquid they consume. Research has found that different patterns exist with a sequential swallow including the lowering of the hyoid and the larynx while the epiglottis returns to an upright position between each swallow, partial maintenance of laryngeal elevation with the epiglottis remaining inverted between swallows, or that these processes happen interchangeably (Tsushima et al., 2009; Daniels & Foundas, 2001). Sequential swallowing occurs when individuals drink liquid from cups and straws, but depending on an individual’s anatomy either a cup or straw may be the most functional tool for safely drinking
AUDSLP 581 Swallowing I
Midterm
1. Tips on Difficulty Swallowing Pills
The normal swallow involves a series of steps that aid an individual when he or she is trying to swallow a variety of substances including liquids, solid foods, and pills. When a substance (food, liquid, etc.) enters the individual’s oral cavity, saliva and mastication form the substance into a bolus. During the oral phase of a normal swallow, the tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge as the tongue pushes the bolus back into the pharynx and the pharyngeal swallow is activated. The pharyngeal phase begins as velopharyngeal closure occurs. The pharyngeal constrictor then contracts, moving the bolus down, and the hyoid and larynx elevate in order to contribute …show more content…
As individuals with dysphagia exhibit increasing difficulty to swallow pills, many people, including medical professionals, have decided to crush up various pills into pieces and sprinkle the pieces onto food to ease the swallow of a person with dysphagia. While this method works for some drugs, other drugs can cause harm when they are digested after being crushed into pieces. Crushing up certain drugs can interfere with the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the drugs; when the absorption of the drug is affected this can affect the body’s reaction to the drug (Griffith, 2016). For example, enteric-coated drugs, sustained release drugs, and sublingual drugs are types of drugs that cannot be broken into pieces. Enteric-coated drugs are coated so that they enter the stomach intact to avoid stomach irritation or destruction from stomach acid, while sublingual drugs are placed under the tongue to dissolve in oral fluids so the body can absorb them as fast as possible. Crushing up sustained release drugs can lead to extremely harmful side effects, as these drugs are released in the body over a specific period of time. When sustained release drugs are crushed up and consumed with food, this can lead to too much of the drug being absorbed at one time, leading to potential overdose. Also, when drugs are crushed and added to food, this can affect the drug’s influence on the individual because …show more content…
When people drink liquids, they may utilize a discrete swallow or a sequential swallow, but research has shown that sequential swallowing is the typical behavior of most individuals when swallowing (Daniels et al., 2004). When consecutively swallowing, individuals can regulate the amount of liquid they consume. Research has found that different patterns exist with a sequential swallow including the lowering of the hyoid and the larynx while the epiglottis returns to an upright position between each swallow, partial maintenance of laryngeal elevation with the epiglottis remaining inverted between swallows, or that these processes happen interchangeably (Tsushima et al., 2009; Daniels & Foundas, 2001). Sequential swallowing occurs when individuals drink liquid from cups and straws, but depending on an individual’s anatomy either a cup or straw may be the most functional tool for safely drinking