Super-Supraglottic Swallow

Super-Supraglottic Swallow

Description: a compensatory swallowing strategy that is similar to supraglottic swallow, but involves increasing pressure before the swallow to help close the laryngeal vestibule.

Impairment targeted: Impaired airway protection, diffuse pharyngeal weakness, pharyngeal carcinoma

Swallowing Stage: Pharyngeal

Example of Goal: Johnny will complete trials of honey thick liquids (4 oz or more) without overt signs/symptoms of aspiration in 80% of trials given minimal verbal cues to utilize safe swallowing strategies within two weeks.

Good for patients experiencing:

• swallowing delays

• neuro-sensory deficits

• posterior escape of the bolus

• Incomplete epiglottic inversion

• Vocal fold paralysis

• Arytenoids not approximating towards epiglottic petiole

• Residue in pyriforms and/or vallecula

• Bolus retrograde flow

DO NOT USE with cardiac patients. 

Hierarchy cueing system: (min/moderate/max) visual, verbal, modeling, and physical cues

Evidence-Based Practice: Super-Supraglottic has been proven to be an effective compensatory swallowing strategy for patients with swallowing challenges (Roth & Worthington, 2021). 

Data Collection Tool:

Reference:

Roth, F. P., & Worthington, C. K. (2021). Treatment resource manual for speech-language pathology.