Project Detail |
Dysphagia, or difficulty with swallowing, is a medical disorder that impacts 1 in 25 adults (from 18 to 65 years of age) and up to 75% of people older than 65 . This condition usually occurs as a consequence of other medical conditions such as stroke, sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. Dysphagia often has devastating consequences including choking, chronic malnutrition, severe life threatening dehydration, aspiration pneumonia, an increased rate of infection, long-term care and in some cases even death. Following dysphagia diagnosis, constant awareness and review is needed to ensure that problems existence is monitored which is currently conducted manually. Indeed, no innovative solution is available for monitoring of the condition. SWALLIS is a unique medical device for the diagnosis and monitoring of dysphagia through the analysis of its sound components. The device uses an accelerometer and a microphone (see Figure 2) to detect sound signals of swallowing, filter and analyse breathing noises and voice signals. The innovation is based on the cervical auscultation method and on the revolutionary research conducted by Prof. Sylvian Moriniere on the origin of sound components during pharyngeal swallowing. SWALLIS is uniquely positioned to revolutionise the global dysphagia management market that is expected to be valued at 3.5 billion in 2024. |