Instructions For Use
STEP 1 Prepare The Cylinder Place resistance tube into the T-SIP cylinder and fill with water. Each line represents ½ milliliter. Lightly secure the stopper. The stopper does not need to be employed but it can help prevent spillage when T-SIP is used at bedside or with patients with an unsteady grasp.
STEP 2 Introduce Patient To Traditional Swallowing Exercise.
Instruct the patient in the traditional swallow exercise such as an effortful swallow or the Masako /Tongue-Holding Maneuver.
STEP 3 Teach An "Effortful SIP"
Instruct the patient to take one strong suck using tight lip compression.
The tube is removed and the swallow exercise chosen by the clinician should be used
to complete the swallow. The gauge is then moved to the water level and the sequence is repeated.
STEP 4 Advance the DIfficulty
As treatment progresses and the patient's strength improves, the amount of water sucked will reach the norm for the resistance tube. At that point, the patient is advanced to a more difficult resistance tube. Once the patient advances to the red resistance tube, the goal is to keep the size of the patient's bolus to 2 mL . This may require stopping the patient's sip. The small bolus insures that the patient is using his volitional swallow and that the size of the bolus is safe. Repeat this sequence until the cylinder is empty.
Blue: Light
Orange: Moderate
Red: Strong
TheraSIP works well with NMES!
PRACTICE 25 mL cylinder 3 TIMES PER DAY and increase as patient improves.
