New device aims to strengthen swallowing muscles in dysphagia patients
NCT ID NCT05708898
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests a device that provides resistance during swallowing to strengthen throat muscles. 160 adults with swallowing problems (dysphagia) will use the device three times daily for six weeks. The goal is to see if it improves swallowing and reduces the risk of food or liquid entering the airway.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- pharyngeal exerciser (a device placed on the throat to resist swallowing)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, drug-free way to improve swallowing and reduce the risk of food or liquid going into the lungs.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with no phase designation. The device may not improve swallowing more than standard exercises, and results may not apply to all types of dysphagia.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 160 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2015
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients with dysphagia characterized by persistent pharyngeal residue on fluoroscopic study undergoing rehabilitative intervention (e.g.: exercises, maneuvers or dietary modification) for improving swallowing and preventing aspiration Healthy elderly adult (≥65 years of age). Exclusion Criteria: * Patients younger than 18 years of age. Patients with recent head and neck cancer (\<1 month post-surgery or \<3 months post-chemo radiation. Patients suffering from muscle diseases like muscular dystrophies, myopathies. Patients with neuro-muscular junction disorders myasthenia gravis, Eaton-Lambert disorders Patients having history of allergy to lidocaine or barium. Patients who are pregnant or lactating. Patients who are medically unstable. Patients who are unable to apply the exerciser independently or with the help of a caregiver. Patients who lack cognition.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Medical College of Wisconsin
RECRUITINGMilwaukee, Wisconsin, 53086, United States
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