RSREHAB

EASY-STIM

4-Channel Sequential NMES for Dysphagia

The term dysphagia refers to all abnormalities that can occur in the entire process of oral, pharyngeal, and esophageal stages when consuming food. Dysphagia can cause mild problems such as delays in mealtime, discomfort, and coughing while eating, as well as serious issues such as malnutrition, dehydration, and aspiration pneumonia, and can even lead to death, making it a disease that requires great caution. Dysphagia can occur due to various factors, and in particular, when the upper esophageal sphincter fails to open properly, food may be aspirated into the airway, often leading to complications such as aspiration pneumonia and death. During this process, important muscles are involved, including the cricopharyngeal muscle and the superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle, and our research has shown that these muscles need to contract continuously, rather than simultaneously, for normal swallowing to occur.

However, existing electric stimulation therapy devices for dysphagia treatment are composed of two channels, so they can stimulate both the suprahyoid and infrahyoid muscles simultaneously, but cannot stimulate them sequentially, resulting in a limitation that the stimulation method is different from the normal mechanism. Therefore, we have developed a functional electric stimulation therapy device for dysphagia, consisting of four channels, to overcome this limitation and are currently conducting clinical trials using it. We believe that this device can improve the swallowing function of dysphagia patients, improve their quality of life, and prevent complications. In addition, we are conducting research to make this device available not only in treatment rooms but also in daily life.

Related information has been presented at several international conferences and has been published in J Electromyogr Kinesiol in 2017 and American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in 2019, acknowledging its superior performance.