Intensive Faciltiation of Swallowing in Patients With Severe Dysphagia After Acquired Brain Injury

May 5, 2017 updated by: Ingrid Poulsen, Rigshospitalet, Denmark

The Effect of Intensive Facial Oral Tract Therapy (F.O.T.T.®) on Swallowing Function in Patients After Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)

This study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Patients after severe acquired brain injury (ABI) were randomised in addition to the individual daily rehabilitation program to intensive Facial Oral Tract Therapy (F.O.T.T.®) (intervention group) or unspecific treatment: washing face, brushing teeth, without facilitating swallowing (control group).

The duration of the intervention period was 15 working days (3 weeks). The intervention in both groups was twice a day.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The F.O.T.T.® approach uses structured tactile input and facilitation techniques in meaningful everyday life context, aiming for improving function in the face and oral tract that is as normal as possible. The goal is maximum participation in daily life. The treatment encourages learning of helpful functional movements or patterns of movement for safe swallowing, protection of airway, oral hygiene, eating, drinking, breathing, voice and articulation.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
10

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with dysphagia caused by severe ABI

Exclusion Criteria:

  • congenital brain damage, psychiatric diagnosis, history of head and neck cancer, agitated behaviour, need for tracheostomy tube

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Intensive F.O.T.T.®
Intensive F.O.T.T.® intervention was given twice a day, approximately 20 minutes per intervention, exclusive time to position the patient. Before and after the intervention, the patient was positioned in a standardized way in side lying for 10 minutes to rest. Here, the Electromyographic Bioimpedance Measuring device (EMBI) measured the spontaneous swallowing frequency and -quality during both, the resting period and the intervention. In the intervention itself, the patient was facilitated with specific handling and interventions to swallow, according to F.O.T.T.®. The faciltation was embedded into a meaningful context for the patient, e.g. tooth brushing or eating small amounts of apple sauce, if safe.
Other: Intensive F.O.T.T.®
Therapeutic F.O.T.T.® intervention provided by Occupational Therapists (OTs). The intervention consists of positioning the patient, and giving sensory input to the hands and face in order to stimulate and facilitate swallowing of saliva or small amounts of food and drink, if considered safe.
Placebo Comparator: Unspecific stimulation of face and mouth
The intervention in the control group was given twice a day, approximately 20 minutes per intervention, exclusive time to position the patient. Patients in the control group were before and after the intervention, positioned in a standardized way in side lying for 10 minutes to rest. The EMBI measured the spontaneous swallowing frequency and -quality during both, the resting period and the intervention. The intervention included unspecific stimulation of the hands and the face, without therapeutic interventions directed towards facilitation of swallowing.
Other: Unspecific Stimulation of face and mouth
The intervention consists of positioning the patient and either washing his face, the hands, or brushing teeth, apply lipbalm, with no specific stimulation or facilitation of swallowing

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in swallowing frequency of saliva.
Time Frame: Change from baseline frequency of swallowing at three weeks.
EMBI is a measure device, measuring the number of spontaneous and facilitated swallows by electromyographic and bioimpedance signals.
Change from baseline frequency of swallowing at three weeks.
Change in swallowing quality of saliva (speed of laryngeal elevation)
Time Frame: Change from baseline quality of swallowing at three weeks.
EMBI is a measure device, measuring the speed of laryngeal elevation during spontaneous and facilitated swallows by electromyographic and bioimpedance signals.
Change from baseline quality of swallowing at three weeks.
Change in swallowing quality of saliva (Range of movement of laryngeal elevation during swallowing)
Time Frame: Change from baseline quality swallowing at three weeks.
EMBI is a measure device, measuring the range of movement of laryngeal elevation during spontaneous and facilitated swallows by electromyographic and bioimpedance signals.
Change from baseline quality swallowing at three weeks.
Change in swallowing quality of saliva (time of pharyngeal closure during swallowing)
Time Frame: Change from baseline quality of swallowing at three weeks.
EMBI is a measure device, measuring the time of pharyngeal closure during spontaneous and facilitated swallows by electromyographic and bioimpedance signals.
Change from baseline quality of swallowing at three weeks.
Change in swallowing quality of saliva (pumping jaw movements before swallowing)
Time Frame: Change from baseline quality of swallowing at three weeks.
EMBI is a measure device, measuring the pumping jaw movements during spontaneous and facilitated swallows by electromyographic and bioimpedance signals.
Change from baseline quality of swallowing at three weeks.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Severity of Dysphagia
Time Frame: Baseline and three weeks
Scored on the Penetration Aspiration Scale (PAS) during Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing
Baseline and three weeks
Ability to eat and drink
Time Frame: Baseline and three weeks
Scored on the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS)
Baseline and three weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Rigshospitalet, Denmark

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
April 1, 2014

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 10, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 5, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 9, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 9, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 5, 2017

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • H-2-2013-162

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

No

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Deglutition Disorders

Clinical Trials on Intensive F.O.T.T.®

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings