Digital multi use rapid viscosity measurement for dysphagia patients

吞咽困难(吞咽障碍、残疾或困难)通常是由神经或结构损伤引起的，是许多其他疾病的继发性疾病，特别是获得性神经疾病和退行性疾病。患有吞咽困难的人可能会遇到吮吸、咀嚼和吞咽食物和饮料、控制唾液和服用药物的问题。它会对生活质量产生重大影响，因为吞咽困难会导致疼痛、烧心、声音嘶哑、咳嗽、反胃、食物卡在喉咙或胸部和流口水的感觉。但它也可能对健康造成更严重的影响，如食欲不振、拒绝进食、体重减轻、窒息、营养不良、脱水、吸入、肺炎和死亡。据估计，吞咽困难影响总人口的8%，英国有520万人，全球有5.6亿人。吞咽困难可以影响任何年龄的人，但在老年人中很常见，特别是中风后和痴呆末期。控制吞咽困难的最常见方法之一是将饮料增稠，这样可以使他们更容易吞咽而不呼气。粉状淀粉或口香糖被混合到饮料中以使它们变得更稠。但是，太浓的饮料会增加吞咽后残留在喉咙内的风险，然后可能会被吸入。此外，太浓的饮料往往令人不快，可能会让人不喝，或者让人在真正喝饱之前感到饱，导致脱水。这种增稠剂还会阻碍药物的消化。因此，为每个人提供规定的正确浓度的饮料是很重要的--既不太稀也不太浓。目前还没有实用、可靠、经济有效的方法来准确测试饮料在加入增稠剂后是否达到规定的浓度。Viscgo有限公司正在开发一种创新的、低成本、快速、简便的现场饮料厚度测试设备，以确保每一种饮料都达到规定的稠度。我们的目标是让任何人都能使用它，无论他们是临床医生、护理人员，甚至是吞咽困难的人。检查每一种饮料是否符合规定的浓度，可以减少窒息、营养不良、脱水、吸入、肺炎和死亡的风险，改善吞咽困难患者的生活质量，并通过减少住院和帮助康复，从而减少住院时间，显著降低医疗保健成本。“

"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."