Muscle wasting and dysphagia in critically ill patients. Version 1.1.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The relationship between oral and suprahyoid muscle wasting and dysphagia in patients in critical care: a prospective interventional study.
IRAS ID
348596
Contact name
Zudin Puthucheary
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Barts Health NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Difficulty swallowing, known as dysphagia, affects three out of five critically ill patients. Dysphagia is associated with poor outcomes in critically ill patients, such as aspiration pneumonia, malnutrition, dehydration, dependence for tube-feeding and increased mortality. For patients, the inability to eat and drink safely is distressing, dehumanising and impedes recovery.
Dysphagia is a symptom of critical illness and is caused by multiple mechanisms, such as intubation injury, reflux, respiratory-swallow dyssynchrony, critical illness neuropathy and muscle wasting. Muscle wasting in critically ill patients is common, with loss of muscle mass resulting in poorer functional outcomes and limited treatment options.
This study aims to understand the mechanism of dysphagia caused by muscle wasting and to explore its impact on swallowing. The main aims are: 1) to prospectively characterise and evaluate acute oral and supra hyoid muscle wasting in critically ill patients, 2) to investigate the impact of acute muscle wasting on swallow physiology and safety in critically ill adults using instrumental evaluation of swallowing and 3) to compare the relationship between muscle mass and swallow physiology and safety in critically ill patients and acute adult inpatients (control group).
REC name
East of England - Essex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/EE/0053
Date of REC Opinion
1 May 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion