Monitoring swallowing in a subject

Abstract

There is provided an apparatus (100) for monitoring swallowing in a subject. The apparatus (100) comprises a processor (102) configured to acquire, from a motion sensor (104), motion signals obtainedfrom a feeding tube, when placed in the esophagus of the subject. The motion signals are indicative of swallowing motions transmitted along the feeding tube. The processor (102) is also configured toprocess the acquired motion signals to classify the acquired motion signals as indicative of the subject swallowing healthily or unhealthily.

Description

technical field [0001] The present disclosure relates to devices for monitoring swallowing in a subject and methods of operating the devices. Background technique [0002] In some cases, especially in hospital settings, it can be important to monitor swallowing in a subject. For example, swallowing and oral feeding health is considered one of the key factors in getting a subject out of an intensive care unit or from a medical facility (eg, a hospital). It would be very useful to enable continuous monitoring of swallowing health to assist the clinician in deciding the timing and progress of independent oral feeding of a subject and ultimately the subject's discharge from the hospital. Failure to promptly assess when a subject is able to swallow without difficulty is one of the main reasons for staying longer in an intensive care unit or medical facility (eg, a hospital). [0003] The medical term for dysphagia is dysphagia, and this can include the impaired pharyngeal swall...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, although this technique is non-invasive, it can cause subject discomfort and even damage to the subject's skin, especially in the case of fragile subjects (eg, premature infants)

In addition, the technique relies on epidermal neck acceleration, which can be hampered by factors such as skin laxity, subcutaneous fat in the neck area, and often limited neck area in the case of preterm infants

Furthermore, since swallowing is detected from outside the subject's body in such non-invasive techniques, the results of such detection can be unreliable compared to invasive techniques where swallowing is monitored from inside the subject's body

For example, using a microphone to detect swallowing from outside the subject's body is more susceptible to contamination from other sounds and variable sources, which can make it difficult to isolate swallowing-specific activity

Images