On-Site Swallow Studies
Dysphagia Imaging of Louisiana comes to you! We provide a thorough, on-site, bedside, instrumental evaluation of swallowing at your facility. The procedure we use is called Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES). Watch your patient’s swallow on video in realtime and receive a report that includes images, diagnoses of physiological deficits of the swallow, oral intake and consistency recommendations, strategy recommendations, and therapy recommendations.
Meet the endoscopist.
Holly C. Smith, M.S., CCC-SLP is a fully licensed and nationally certified speech-language pathologist with 15 years of clinical experience. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences & Disorders (CSD) from Louisiana State University and her master’s degree in CSD from Southeastern Louisiana University. Holly has worked in a variety of settings, including public schools, Louisiana Early Steps, a university academic and clinical setting, and private practice. Holly has sought after and completed intensive, specialized training in the area of Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) and dysphagia from the nation’s leading FEES providers, traveling to various areas in the United States to complete the various steps in the training process. She has been deemed a competent endoscopist in both (1) managing the endoscope insertion and positioning and (2) interpreting and reporting results including pinpointing physiological deficits and making appropriate recommendations for continued care by the treating SLP. Why choose FEES?
Save Money on the Procedure
FEES is significantly less expensive than Modified Barium Swallow Studies (MBSS) but offers the ability to see the swallow mechanism at rest, on non-swallow tasks, and during eating and drinking. We can also see what happens to the bolus when the patient eats and drinks. Secretions and anatomical variations can also be visualized. The culmination of collected information results in a more thorough understanding of the patient’s swallow.
Eliminate Transportation Costs
FEES is conveniently done at your facility, so there is no need to hire and pay for an ambulance or medical transportation service to get an instrumental assessment of your patient’s swallow.
Conserve Resources
In cases where intake consistencies are upgraded and oral intake can be resumed, your facility may save funds and resources in the longterm by reducing the use of thickeners, labor for changing consistencies, and labor and materials for tube feedings. Even a change for one patient can save your facility time and money.
Increased Convenience
Scheduling FEES is more convenient for your staff, as you are only coordinating between your facility and the endoscopist. On the other hand, when scheduling an MBSS, you are scheduling between your facility, transportation, and multiple staff at the hospital. FEES is also more convenient for the patient, because it can be completed with the patient in their bed, in a wheelchair, in a recliner, or any other specialized chair they may use. We do not normally need to move the patient. The treating SLP may also participate.
Eliminate Risks
FEES can help your facility eliminate the risks associated with (1) failing to identify silent penetration and aspiration and leaving dysphagia unaddressed or inadequately addressed and (2) continuing restricted oral intake and/or continuing consistency restrictions for too long. Both have associated risks. Furthermore, it can be risky to transport some patients to other facilities for an MBSS, and FEES may therefore be a good alternative for an instrumental assessment.
A More Flexible Assessment
FEES can be completed on patients that may present challenges for MBSS, like patients on ventilators or patients that already have a history of excessive receipt of radiation. Since no radiation is used, FEES exams can also be extended for longer studies if more strategies or specific foods need to be tested. In fact, we can test any food - some patients may be requesting to eat a very specific item and we can assess the safety of that. We also do not need to use barium, which means the taste and consistency of the food is not altered. We also gladly invite the treating SLP to participate in the exam.
