University Times

Swallowing disorders affect approximately 75 percent of hospitalized patients in the United States and 60 percent of all patients over the age of 60. To properly diagnose and treat patients with any swallowing disorder, UPMC Heal th System has opened the region's first Swallowing Disorders Center.

One of about 15 such centers in the United States, the Swallowing Disorders Center is located in the otolaryngology department at UPMC Eye and Ear Institute. The center comprises a specially trained and equipped multidisciplinary team that identifies caus es of swallowing difficulties, conducts technologically advanced tests of swallowing function and treats the disorders with behavioral intervention, medical therapies or surgery.

"Swallowing is something we do constantly without thinking, yet it is a very complex process that requires exact coordination of numerous muscles at various stages of the process," said Thomas Murray, professor of otolaryngology and director of the center . "A swallowing disorder can affect a person's ability to chew, swallow, digest and ultimately maintain adequate nutrition and, in some cases, carry out normal daily function," Murray said.

Swallowing disorders also can cause life-threatening aspiration pneumonia (food or liquid in the windpipe), one of the most common reasons for hospital re-admission following treatment for the primary disease or injury, according to Murray.

Ricardo Carrau, associate professor of otolaryngology and the center's medical director, said, "UPMC's Swallowing Disorders Center is unique because its coordinated multidisciplinary team can diagnose and treat the problem regardless of the cause."

The center includes specialists in otolaryngology, gastroenterology, neurology, pulmonary medicine, radiology, speech pathology and therapy, and nutrition.