Centers of Excellence Physician Services Support Services

VitalStim® Therapy

To make a referral, call 706-823-8504.

Speech-language pathology, the study of human communication, is a dynamic field covering disorders of speech production, cognitive-linguistic skills, and swallowing. Therapeutic techniques are as diverse as the field of speech itself. However, in the area of swallowing therapy, the development of VitalStim® Therapy has greatly impacted both Speech Pathology and the lives of those suffering from dysphagia, a condition causing discomfort or difficulty swallowing.

It is estimated that 15 million Americans suffer from dysphagia. This condition is common among stroke and traumatic brain injury survivors, patients with neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease, and patients with head and neck cancer. At its worst, patients with severe dysphagia are unable to take food or liquids by mouth in any form and require an alternate means of nutrition, most commonly by a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube. According to the National Institute of Health, while the PEG placement itself is considered a low risk procedure, complications afterwards are reported in up to 70% of patients, with 3% to 11% of cases leading to hospitalization or death.

Speech pathologists have used conventional therapy for dysphagia, including both compensatory strategies and exercises aimed at strengthening and improving the coordination of swallowing muscles, for years. However, there is little data describing the outcomes of those therapeutic measures. VitalStim® Therapy is the first proven treatment for dysphagia, backed by clinical data and cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). VitalStim® Therapy uses small electrical currents to stimulate the muscles responsible for swallowing. At the same time, therapists specifically trained in VitalStim® Therapy help patients "re-educate" the swallowing muscles.

A small, carefully calibrated current is delivered by specially designed electrodes.

The current stimulates motor nerves in the throat.

The muscles responsible for swallowing contract.

The quality of the swallowing function improves.

With repeated therapy, muscles are re-educated.

Developed by Marcy Freed, Ph.D., a speech language pathologist with University Hospital of Cleveland, VitalStim® Therapy's efficacy is based on a clinical trial of 892 patients. The clinical data is compelling. The real-world evidence is unmistakable. Even to patients with long-term dysphagia, VitalStim® Therapy holds remarkable potential - and abundant hope - for a lasting solution.

While the results with VitalStim are promising, it should be understood that not every patient is a candidate for this type of therapy. For those who are a candidate, additional conventional techniques may be recommended as well. Those combining VitalStim® Therapy and conventional techniques are demonstrating greater and faster results for regaining swallowing function.

Results - VitalStim® Therapy Electrical Stimulation

  • 98.4% of patients improved their swallow function score
  • 97.5% of patients with severe dysphagia regained swallow function past the point of PEG tube dependency
  • 38.3 % of patients with severe dysphagia regained full normal swallow function
  • At three-year follow-up, over 76% had retained swallow function and only 3% reported aspiration

Statistics and images used with permission from VitalStim® Therapy by Chattanooga Group.