Silent aspiration: Personal thoughts
I want to thank Drs Debra Suiter, Michael Crary and Ianessa Humbert for their recent contributions to this blog. I appreciate all the feedback from SLPs all over the globe. There has been some excellent contributions from Tokyo to Los Angeles and everywhere in between, including my new obsession, Reykjavik, Iceland (obsessed only because of the stunning pictures I have seen). Whether through Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Email, I’m glad there’s opportunities for greater geographical dialogue in front of Macs, IPads and IPhones.
Reykjavik, Iceland (Photo credit: Wikipedia
A few of my own personal thoughts and reflections on the recent blog: Not So Silent Aspiration in Memphis: Interview with Dr. Debra Suiter
-Silent aspiration is often misunderstood
-Silent aspiration is over-stated way too much
-We do not need 3-5 diagnostic studies in one month to conclude the patient is no longer a silent aspiration risk
-There is research that gives us the tools to make confident clinical judgements at bedside, even in the face of silent aspiration risk
-VFSS or FEES should always be considered a diagnostic evaluation. I discourage its use as a method to prove myself or someone else that I was right or wrong about silent aspiration
-Diagnostic studies do not rule out silent aspiration.
-The presence of silent aspiration on a diagnostic study should not be stifling from doing therapeutic PO trials
I’ve had some really great feedback on the recent blog post. Some are complimentary, but others are comments of struggle from many newer clinicians with the material and concept. Topics of silent aspiration seem to make many clinicians very uneasy. When we are uneasy about the topic it definitely makes those we are treating uneasy as well as other professional who depend on our expertise and opinion. Be encouraged that silent aspiration does not have to be an area we fear, as there is a great sources and information out there that can give us confidence. I’m encouraged to continue the struggle of uncomfortable areas of our practice. Perhaps, we can all one day sit around a cafe in Reykjavik, Iceland sipping on some hot coffee and enjoying some Skyr (What is Skyr? Find out here) and talk about the days we use to fuss over silent aspiration.
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