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Completed

NCT Number: NCT01723358

Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) Treatment Technique Therapy in the Management of Young Infants With Severe Dysphagia

The goal of this study is to obtain data that well help inform the feasibility and design of a randomized control trial of the therapeutic Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) technique in improving the swallowing function of young infants presenting with severe dysphagia.

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Key information

Conditions

Dysphagia Deglutition Disorders Digestive System Diseases Esophageal Diseases Gastrointestinal Diseases Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases Pharyngeal Diseases

Age range

2 week–12 month

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

The Hospital for Sick Children

Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X8, Canada

About this study

Infants with severe neurologic disability often have difficulty in eating by mouth due to a disruption in the swallowing process. This swallowing dysfunction, also known as dysphagia, is often evident early in life and when severe can be permanent. Dysphagia can lead to an inability to take in enough food to maintain an adequate weight and result in malnutrition. It also can result in food going into the lungs instead of the stomach, resulting in an illness called aspiration pneumonia. Both of these complications may require feeding by tube either through the nose into the stomach or directly into the stomach via the abdominal wall, to bypass the swallowing process. This process is resource intense, can be associated with a number of complications and may result in a reduced quality of life for both the infant and caregivers. Currently, there are no effective treatments to change the natural course of dysphagia in this context.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Infants with severe dysphagia on VFFS as defined by dysphagia resulting in aspiration with swallow of at least 2 food textures (e.g. thin and thick liquid).
  • We will include children with dysphagia due to a central neurologic deficit. The neurologic diagnosis will be based on the diagnosis from the treating physician.

Exclusion criteria

  • Infants with a known or suspected neurodegenerative or peripheral neuromuscular condition or a medical condition that is a contraindication for NMES treatment (tumours in the neck region and neck soft tissue infections).
  • Children with neurodegenerative disorders have been excluded as their natural history of dysphagia would be different from those with a static neurologic disorder.

Treatment and study plan

Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES)

Device

The intervention will consist of a period of treatment with NMES. This treatment will involve 20-45 minute feeding therapy sessions during which NMES will be administered by an Occupational Therapist. Frequency of therapy sessions will be 4 times per week for the first 2 weeks (as in inpatient, if hospitalized) and then biweekly for 14 weeks for a total of 36 sessions (over 16 weeks). For patients who are discharged prior to the first 2 weeks of treatment, outpatient sessions will be biweekly.

Other names: VitalStim® therapy

Primary outcomes

  1. Effectiveness

    Time frame: 4 months

    The primary outcome will be an improvement in swallowing function as determined by videofluoroscopic feeding study from baseline to end of treatment (4 months after baseline). The swallowing function will be graded as to the number of textures the infant can safely swallow at three measurement points (baseline, 2 months and 4 months). An improvement in the number of textures the infant can swallow will define improvement. This will be recorded using a standard reporting form.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Resolution of dysphagia

    Time frame: 4 months

    The proportion of children whose dysphagia resolves (i.e. safe to feed on all consistencies of solids and liquids) at 4 months will be calculated.

  2. Feeding ability

    Time frame: baseline, 2 months and 4 months from enrollment

    The feeding ability will be assessed using a clinical exam by an occupational therapist.

  3. Oral feeding ability and need for tube feeding

    Time frame: baseline, 2 months, 4 months from enrollment

    Oral feeding ability and the need for tube feeding will be assessed using a structured scale based on parental report of dietary intake that includes: Level 1: Nothing by mouth, all nutrition by tube feeds, Level 2: <50% intake by mouth, tube feeding requirement, Level 3: >50% intake by mouth, tube feeding, requirement, Level 4: All by mouth, no tube feeding.

  4. Hospitalizations for lower respiratory tract illness

    Time frame: 4 months

    The frequency of hospitalizations for lower respiratory tract illnesses in the 4 months following enrollment into the study will be determined by administering a structured questionnaire to parents.

  5. Safety and Adverse events

    Time frame: duration of subjects involvment in the study

    Data collection of adverse events will occur through administration of a structured questionnaire by the occupational therapist at the end of each treatment session and just prior to the subsequent session.

  6. Caregiver acceptability and perception of feeding

    Time frame: at 4 months

    Two questions using a 10 cm visual analogue scale will ask whether parents were satisfied with the treatment process and whether the caregiver felt that their child's feeding ability improved during treatment. Two further open ended questions will probe what aspects of the treatment they felt were positive and what aspects they felt were negative.

  7. Data on treatment procedures

    Time frame: 4 months

    Data will be collected by the occupational therapist after each treatment session. This will include method of feeding, amount of food taken, response to treatment, length of treatment session, location of electrode placement and amplitude of stimulation used.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

The Hospital for Sick Children

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effectiveness of a New Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) Treatment Technique (VitalStim® Therapy) in the Management of Young Infants With Severe Dysphagia: a Prospective Pilot Study

Important dates

Study start
2010
Primary completion
2012
Study completion
2012
First posted
Nov 7, 2012
Registry last updated
Jul 20, 2015

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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