Excel Complete Home Healthcare is pleased to announce that we have recently purchased a Vital Stim unit to be used by Janice Longoria, SLP in the treatment of Dysphagia.

VitalStim Therapy is a safe and effective treatment for patients suffering with difficulty swallowing or dysphagia. It was developed in response to the 15 million Americans living with dysphagia today. VitalStim Therapy is a non-invasive, external electrical stimulation therapy cleared to market by the FDA in December 2002. The therapy uses specifically designed electrodes applied to the muscles of the throat to promote proper swallowing. No other NMES therapy or electrode carries FDA clearance for the treatment of dysphagia.

Dysphagia, or difficulty with swallowing, is a medical disorder that impacts as many as 15 million Americans, with approximately one million people annually receiving a new diagnosis of the condition.(ASHA 1994)

Although little known, dysphagia often has devastating consequences: each year, according to the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR), over 60,000 Americans die from complications associated with swallowing difficulties, most commonly aspiration pneumonia – caused by food or saliva going down the windpipe and into the lungs.(AHRQ 1999) A large proportion of these cases are due to dysphagia arising from a variety of causes including stroke, degenerative neurological diseases, and head and neck cancer.

Based on CDC mortality data, this is more than the total number of people dying from all forms of liver disease, kidney disease, and HIV-AIDS, combined – and nearly as many as died from diabetes, the #6 killer of Americans.(CDC 2008)

Aspiration pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death among the elderly and has been reported as a growing cause of hospital admissions in that population segment. Pneumonia – a large percentage of which arises from dysphagia – is the fifth leading cause of death of Americans over the age of 65, and the third leading cause of death in those over 85.(LaCroix et al. 1989)

AHRQ. Diagnosis and treatment of swallowing disorders (dysphagia) in acute care stroke patients. Summary. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 1999.

ASHA. Prevalence of speech, voice and language disorders in the United States. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 1994.

CDC. Mortality data from the national vital statistics system. CDC. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/deaths.htm. [Sept. 17, 2008].

LaCroix AZ, Lipson S, Miles TP, and White L. Prospective study of pneumonia hospitalizations and mortality of U.S. older people: the role of chronic conditions, health behaviors, and nutritional status. Public Health Rep 104: 350-360, 1989.

Should you have any questions about this exciting addition to our therapy services please feel free to call Sharon Rojas, RN @ 575-4500.

Please come by our booth at the Health fair in the Victoria Mall on Sat. October 3,2009 from 10:00a.m. till 3:00p.m. The Excel Complete Home Healthcare staff will be happy to meet with you and answer any questions.

Our clinical director and director of nurses, Sharon Rojas R.N., has recently been certified as a Home Care Coding Specialist with Diagnosis and as an Oasis Clinical Specialist. Her continuing education efforts and passing of certification exams further add to our expertise and efficiency with patient care.

In February 2009 "Excel Complete Home Healthcare Agency" was surveyed by the State and found to have no deficiencies and no recommendations.