FEES
FEES stands for Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing. It is a gold-standard diagnostic procedure for diagnosing a suspected dysphagia condition and providing guildence for treatment. The process enables us to directly view the throat and airway while a person eats and drinks. During the study, a small, thin, flexible tube with a camera and light (an endoscope) is gently passed through the nose and positioned just above the throat. This allows us to view and record high-definition, real-color video of the swallow in real-time.
Understanding Dysphagia
Dysphagia is the medical term for difficulty swallowing. It is often a symptom of underlying conditions such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, or head and neck cancer. Dysphagia can be dangerous because it can lead to aspiration, which occurs when food or liquid enters the airway and travels toward the lungs rather than the stomach. If left untreated, chronic aspiration can cause life-threatening complications like aspiration pneumonia, malnutrition, and dehydration.
Why FEES is often Necessary and Beneficial
When a patient shows signs of aspiration or clinical decline, you need answers quickly to ensure their safety and adjust their plan of care. FEES is an essential tool for creating a safe and effective treatment plan. It allows us to:
Identify Silent Aspiration: Many patients aspirate without coughing or showing external signs.
Assess Secretion Management: We can see how well a patient handles their own saliva, which is a critical predictor of pneumonia risk.
Visualize Anatomy: Unlike other tests, FEES provides a direct view of the tissue to look for swelling, redness, or structural abnormalities.
Direct Treatment: We can immediately test different "compensatory strategies" (like tucking the chin) or diet textures during the study to see what works best for the patient.
Why we prefer FEES over MBS (Modified Barium Swallow)
While both are excellent tools, FEES offers several distinct advantages over the traditional X-ray based Modified Barium Swallow study:
No Radiation: FEES involves zero radiation exposure, making it safe for repeat evaluations to track progress.
Real Food & Fluids: We use actual foods and liquids (dyed green for visibility) rather than barium-tainted items, which can change the way a person swallows.
No Time Constraints: Because there is no radiation, we can take our time to observe how a patient fatigues over the course of a full meal—something an MBS cannot do.
Bedside Convenience: We come to the patient. This eliminates the need for expensive and stressful transportation to a hospital radiology suite, which is especially beneficial for frail or medically complex patients.
Our specialized services ensure your patients receive the highest standard of care.
By combining bedside evaluations with targeted treatment strategies,
we help patients overcome dysphagia while remaining in your facility.
Our goal is to mitigate complications and
to avoid unnecessary hospital transfers.