What is Dysphagia?

Dysphagia is the medical term for the symptom of difficulty in swallowing. It is derived from the Greek “dys” meaning bad or disordered, and “phago” meaning “eat”.

Dysphagia affects 18 million people in the US and 45%-87% of residents in long-term care. One out of 17 people will eventually develop dysphagia. Pneumonia, largely arising from swallowing problems, is a leading cause of death in Americans over 65 years of age.

Who is Ampcare?

Rick, Ronda and Russ have worked together for over 23 years to establish new treatment protocols in oropharyngeal dysphagia, using electrical stimulation as a modality for speech language pathologists and to improve treatment outcomes for patients. Through their interdisciplinary care approach and synergy of ideas, they have become co-owners of Ampcare and are working to bring cutting-edge modalities to the dysphagia therapist. The first of these is the ESP or Effective Swallowing Protocol.

What is the ESP?

ESP is a treatment for dysphagia that combines the most effective electrical stimulation parameters with resistive exercises. We have received our FDA clearance to market the Effective Swallowing Protocol (ESP). This includes a portable powered muscle stimulator with easily adjustable parameters and the Ampcare E Series electrodes to elicit the most comfortable motor contraction for the patient. Research demonstrates that our recommended treatment time of 30 minutes makes our technology and exercise protocol paired with the Restorative Posture Device (RPD) both effective and efficient.