How TheraSIP Works
· Resistance tubes of increasing difficulty.
· Very small 2mL sips or traces of thin liquid combined with traditional swallowing exercises.
· Repetitive swallowing practice of swallowing exercises.
· Stimulation of intentional effort using the volitional swallow.
TheraSIP™ was designed to provide a systematic swallowing exercise and delivery system which can be used in treatment and prescribed for in-room or in the home drills. The device can also be used in conjunction with NMES.
The device uses resistance tubes that when sucked with effort produce trace amounts of water in the mouth, often less than 2 ml, that are then swallowed with forceful effort or another traditional swallowing exercise. The unit is graduated and comes with a gauge so each effort can be measured in milliliters. By using an effortful swallow with traces of fluid, safe practice of swallowing can be drilled repetitively without putting the patient at risk.
TheraSIP™ was developed using the principles of exercise. It strives to increase the patient's volitional swallow frequency and strength as well as to encourage a heightened, purposeful effort. Practice of single bolus swallows or continuous swallows can be provided. It is not intended as a method of hydration but rather as a method of delivering safe amounts of thin liquids for repetitive swallowing drills.
The TheraSIP™Swallowing Trainer Kit also is supplied with a set of therapeutic drinking straws.These straws are not for exercising the swallow but for limiting the bolus size as part of a thin liquid protocol.
TheraSIP Products
TheraSIP Swallowing Trainer Kit
This is a clinician's swallowing toolbox! Designed for individual patient use, the kit comes with a resistance exerciser with micro-resistance tubes for exercising thin liquid swallows. The exerciser, T-SIP, is graduated and has a gauge which can be used after each trial to insure that the bolus is under 2 mL in size. The micro-resistance tubes come in three different sizes and provide mild, moderate and strong resistance. This allows exercises to be increased in difficulty. The T-SIP and the resistance tubes are not to be used for hydration.
The kit also comes with a graduated cup for measuring bolus size for cup drinking and a set of TheraSTRAWS, four therapeutic drinking straws designed to limit bolus size. The straws and the resistance tubes can be inserted into the larger straw to increase the outer diameter for patients with weakened lip strength. The straws can be bent by microwaving for several minutes. TheraSTRAWS sets can be purchased separately.
TheraSIP PROFESSIONAL SERIES
TheraSIP PS is designed for institutions that provide swallowing rehabilitation to a large number of patients. This swallowing exercise system comes with four medical grade stainless steel micro-resistance tubes, a larger 50 ml T-SIP, a graduated cup, instructional manual, recording cards, and a hard carrying case. The resist tubes can be autoclaved and used with multiple patients. The TheraSIP PS also comes with a TheraSIP Swallowing Trainer Kit as described above.
TheraSTRAWS
TheraSTRAWS are therapeutic straws which come in four sizes and are design to help the clinician design a "safer" method of thin liquid intake or free water protocol. The smaller straws can be inserted into the larger straws to increase the other diameters. When designing a thin liquid protocol, TheraSTRAWS act to limit the size of the bolus for safer intake. The standardization of the straw sizes facilitate carry over of acute care recommendations to other levels of care. These can be cleaned after each use in warm soap and water using the TheraSIP Cleanser or an ear syringe. They are not to be shared between patients. These straws are designed for hydration rather than exercise.
SwallowMist
SwallowMist is a misting spray device which can be filled with water and used to administer a trace amount of liquid into a patient's mouth. The amount sprayed is a small mist of moisture to hydrate the oral mucosa. The tool can be used for swallowing practice in patients that are unable to tolerate sips, teaspoons of liquid or the coldness of ice chips. SwallowMist can be used instead of ice chips for NPO patients. No batteries are needed.
TonguePRESS
TonguePress is our newest therapist designed product for the treatment of swallowing as well as speech. The unit is filled with water and the patient is instructed to insert the bulb on his/her tongue and press it against the hard palate. The indicator rises to a height in the tube depending on the strength of the press. In accordance with the principles of exercise, this device should be practiced repetitively to reach overload and can be adjusted in difficulty by adjusting the unit's valve. Typically, a patient would practice 30 to 60 presses.
