The new diagnostic device was developed by Jonathan Aviv, director, division of head and neck surgery and Irving Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology, and John Martin, assistant professor of clinical neurobiology and behavior at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. It promises to fill a gap in geriatric medicine and begin helping doctors make better treatment choices for their elderly patients. The device consists of a fiber optic endoscopic tube connected to an air-puff generator. The tube is placed through the nose and down into the middle of the patient's throat. Puffs of air of varying duration and intensity are generated.
Patients respond as to whether they feel the puff of air.
The outpatient procedure takes only 10 minutes. Knowledge of sensory discrimination in this area will ultimately reduce hospitalization and morbidity among the elderly. If the test reveals that someone cannot feel the air puff, appropriate intervention to prevent malnutrition and pneumonia would be recommended. Intervention could include diet modifications such as substituting carbonated beverages for room temperature liquids and the addition of textured foods, which are more easily swallowed by someone with impaired sensation. In more severe cases, food by mouth would be eliminated and patients would be fed through a nasal or gastric tube.