Rainer Dziewas, Rebecca Stellato, Ingeborg van der Tweel, Ernst Walther, Cornelius J Werner, Tobias Braun, Giuseppe Citerio, Mitja Jandl, Michael Friedrichs, Katja Nötzel, Milan R Vosko, Satish Mistry, Shaheen Hamdy, Susan McGowan, Tobias Warnecke, Paul Zwittag, Philip M Bath
BACKGROUND: Dysphagia after stroke is common, especially in severely affected patients who have had a tracheotomy. In a pilot trial, pharyngeal electrical stimulation (PES) improved swallowing function in this group of patients. We aimed to replicate and extend this single-centre experience. METHODS: We did a prospective, single-blind, randomised controlled trial across nine sites (seven acute care hospitals, two rehabilitation facilities) in Germany, Austria, and Italy...
October 2018: Lancet Neurology