Nasal airflow monitoring during swallowing: Evidences for respiratory-swallowing incoordination in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Respiratory swallowing coordination is regarded as one of the several mechanisms by which the airway is protected from aspiration during swallowing. A lack of reciprocity between respiration and swallowing has been indicated as one of the mechanisms that can lead to aspiration and pneumonia. Since chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a pulmonary condition, we have hypothesized that there would be deficits observed in respiratory-swallow coordination in individuals with COPD. Hence, the present study was planned to investigate the respiratory-swallow coordination in individuals with COPD. Thirty-two individuals with the diagnosis of COPD and 32 normal controls were recruited for the study. Respiratory coordination for swallowing was measured using Kay Digital Swallowing Workstation. The specific swallowing tasks were recorded for each individual which was dry swallow, thin liquid swallow, and thick liquid swallow. The results revealed that there was a significant difference between individuals with COPD and normal controls indicating that swallow apnea duration is prolonged in individuals with COPD. It was also observed that expiration-inspiration is the predominant pattern, followed by expiration-expiration, inspiration-expiration, and inspiration-inspiration in individuals with COPD when compared to predominant expiration-expiration swallow in normal controls followed by expiration-inspiration, inspiration-expiration, and inspiration-inspiration. The results of the present study gave an insight into the pattern of respiratory-swallowing coordination in individuals with COPD.