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Do ENT surgical patients need VTE prophylaxis?

In the UK, current NICE guidance for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention does not give specific advice about patients undergoing otolaryngology/head and neck surgery (OHNS). This systematic review provides up-to-date information based on available, although limited, evidence about the incidence of...

How do you solve a problem like Dysphagia?

When a patient is referred to a speech and language therapist for the management of swallowing difficulties, multiple options are available to address these issues. The choice is based on a detailed assessment of the patient’s swallowing physiology and function....

Harnessing technology for the benefit of children with significant communication difficulties

This article describes future needs in provision and research in the field of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) aids for children with significant communication difficulties. The authors highlight the needs of users and the opportunities that technology could provide in...

Technology at the right time in the right place for people with communication difficulties

The ‘just-in-time’ (JIT) construct was developed as a business strategy for a major Japanese car company in the 1970s. It has now been applied to many other business models throughout the world. The JIT concept is where something is provided,...

We all need to support the human rights of people with communication difficulties

This article starts by reminding us of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (United Nations, 1948) of which article 19 stated: ‘‘Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference...

Smaller gauge voice prosthesis is effective in secondary trans-oesophageal puncture

Placement of voice prosthesis at the time of trachea-oesophageal puncture is well described using 20-French prostheses. There is debate about the optimal size of the prosthesis with work in the 1980s and 1990s supporting larger prostheses. The rationale was that...

Medialisation laryngoplasty can relieve pain related to voice use

Odynophonia, or pain associated with voice use, is a relatively uncommon manifestation of glottal insufficiency related to vocal fold motion impairment (VFMI). Its incidence is approximately 15% in patients with vocal fold paresis. Medialisation laryngoplasty (ML) was popularised by Isshiki...

Who finds it hard to swallow?

Early identification of dysphagia in inpatients on acute stroke wards has been recommended as best practice guidelines in many countries. However, several institutions fail to use formal dysphagia screening protocols and rely on informal detection by nurses and doctors. This...

Monitoring the mouth in ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; or motor neurone disease) is characterised by gradual loss of function in the speech muscles resulting in a progressive deterioration in a person’s ability to communicate. The aim of this study was to investigate the use...

From a dysphagia clinical trial to a multidisciplinary head and neck clinical pathway – the road to implementation

This paper describes the barriers and facilitators to establishing a structured and coordinated multidisciplinary care pathway for patients with head and neck cancer at a medical centre in the USA. The initiative was set in motion by the roll out...

Maintaining a voice throughout the MND journey

Amytrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as motor neurone disease (MND), is a progressive neurological disease that destroys the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movements resulting in severe dysarthria in 95% of people with MND. It may lead to...

Identification of congenital hearing loss in Saudi Arabia

It has long been recognised that timely recognition of congenital hearing loss allows for the morbidity of hearing loss to be minimised. Due to the difficulties with identifying hearing loss in babies, combined with readily available screening technologies, many countries...