Digital multi use rapid viscosity measurement for dysphagia patients

"Dysphagia (swallowing disorder, disability or difficulty) is usually caused by nerve or structural damage and is a secondary condition of many other ailments, especially acquired neurological conditions and degenerative diseases. People with dysphagia might experience problems with sucking, chewing and swallowing food and drink, controlling saliva and ingesting medicine. It can have a major impact on quality of life as dysphagia can cause pain, heartburn, hoarseness, coughing, regurgitation, a sensation of food stuck in the throat or chest and drooling. But it can also have more serious health implications such as loss of appetite, food refusal, weight-loss, choking, malnutrition, dehydration, aspiration, pneumonia and death.

Dysphagia is estimated to affect 8% of the general population which is 5.2 million people in the UK and 560 million people worldwide. Dysphagia can affect people at any age but is prevalent among the elderly, particularly following stroke and in the end stage of dementia.

One of the most common ways to manage dysphagia is to thicken drinks which can make them easier to swallow without aspirating. Powdered starch or gum is mixed in to drinks to make them thicker. But drinks that are too thick can increase the risk of post-swallow residue remaining in the throat which may then be aspirated. Also, drinks that are too thick tend to be unpalatable and can be left undrunk, or make someone feel satiated before they really are, leading to dehydration. The thickener can also impede the digestion of medicines. So it is important to provide drinks of the correct consistency as prescribed for each individual -- not too thin and not too thick.

Currently there is no practical, reliable, cost-effective way to accurately test that a drink is at the prescribed consistency once the thickener has been mixed in. Viscgo Limited are developing an innovative, low-cost, quick, easy and simple in-situ drink thickness testing device to make sure that each and every drink is at the prescribed consistency. We aim for anyone to be able to use it, whether they're a clinician, a carer or even the person with dysphagia. Checking that each drink has the prescribed consistency may reduce the risk of choking, malnutrition, dehydration, aspiration, pneumonia and death, improve the quality of life of people with dysphagia and significantly reduce health care costs by reducing hospitalization and aiding recovery and hence reducing length of hospital stay."