How much is too much? Effect of volume on water-swallowing test

Abstract

Introduction: Water-swallowing test (WST) is a simple, economical bedside screening test practiced for early identification of risk for dysphagia (or swallowing impairment). However, there is no consensus on the right test quantity to assess swallowing ability by WST. Aim of the Study: The aim of the present study was to establish the right quantity of water for WST sufficient to assess sequential swallowing in healthy adults albeit avoiding larger quantity of thin liquids. Subjects and Methods: Thirty healthy young adults (HYA) (20–40 years) and thirty healthy middle-aged adults (HMA) (41–60 years) were enrolled by nonrandom convenient sampling. Four quantities (50, 90, 100, and 150 ml) of room temperature water was gauzed by a measuring cup and randomly presented to the participants to swallow in their natural pace. As per the test standard, volume/swallow (V/S), time/swallow (T/S), and swallow capacity (SC) indices were derived and subjected to further statistical analysis. Results: The results of the study suggested statistically significant increased V/S and SC in a lesser T/S among HYA compared to HMA, and the difference was at P