Who are the target patients?

Any patients who have the following problems or diseases should be referred to the Swallowing disorder physician (Swallowologist):

• Difficulty with eating or drinking.
• Difficulty with chewing food.
• Loss of food or liquids from the mouth.
• Food sitting in the mouth long after a meal.
• Difficulty with swallowing of solids and/or liquids food.
• Coughing or choking when eating.
• Wet or gurgled voice after eating or drinking.
• Food sticking in the throat or chest.
• Oro-facial muscle weaknesses associated with dysphagia.
• History of frequent attack of aspiration pneumonia.
• Frequent episodes of regurgitation, reflux, or spitting up after a meal.
• Losing weight.
• Neurodegenerative disease (e.g., Amyotrophiclateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease).
• Spinal cord injury.
• Neurological injury (e.g., cerebrovascular accident or traumatic brain injury).
• Following treatment for head and neck cancer (e.g., surgery and/or radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy).
• Vocal fold mobility disorders (e.g., recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, superior laryngeal nerve injury).
• Tracheostomy.
• Mechanical ventilation or other respiratory issues (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchopulmonary dysplasia.