ASHEBORO - Electrical stimulation has been used in the medical field for centuries.

Now, a new type of therapy using electrical stimulation is being employed at Randolph Hospital with remarkable results.

Just ask Roy Rettinger of Asheboro.

Rettinger, 76, suffered a stroke on Jan. 28 and now, after just three sessions with new VitalStem Therapy, he is swallowing foods and liquids safely.

"I didn't have any trouble swallowing solids, but had problems with liquids," Rettinger said.

Randolph Hospital has been using VitalStem Therapy to treat dysphagia since March 3 and is the only hospital in Randolph, Guilford, Alamance, Chatham, Davidson and Montgomery counties that can perform the treatment.

PHOTO CAPTION: EASY TO SWALLOW - Electrodes attached to a patch stimulate the stroke patients's swallowing muscles. A control panel, below, monitors the amount of electricity going to the patient's throat.

Dysphagia occurs when there is a problem with any part of the swallowing process. People with dysphagia have difficulty swallowing and may also experience pain while swallowing. Some people may be completely unable to swallow or may have trouble swallowing liquids, foods or saliva. Eating then becomes a challenge.

Other problems include not being able to start the swallowing reflex (a stimulus that allows food and liquids to move safely through the pharynx) because of a stroke or other nervous system disorder. People with those kinds of problems are unable to begin the muscle movements that allow food to move from the mouth to the stomach.

Rettinger's swallowing problem occurred when he would retain fluid in his esophagus and it would sometimes go over into his airway, causing choking problems.

The goal is to get patients swallowing foods and liquids safely so it will enter the stomach and bypass the lungs.

When weak throat muscles cannot move all of the food toward the stomach, bits of food can fall or be pulled into the windpipe (trachea), which may also result in lung infection.

Developed by Marcy Feed, a Speech-Language Pathologist in Cleveland, Ohio, VitalStem Therapy can make a difference for the 6-15 million adults and children in the United States who are known to have swallowing problems.

Randolph Hospital's Speech-Language Pathologist, Maria Koenig, M.Ed., CCC-SLP is one of only 34 people in the world who is certified to do the treatment.

"I read about the research that had been done by Feed and then took the exam to become certified to do the treatments," Koenig said. "VitalStem has a 97 percent success rate with patients who go through the therapy."

The treatments last for 5-6 consecutive days, for a total of 10 treatments. It is non-evasive and painless.

"This treatment is great because there are no additional pills to add to my menu," said Rettinger. "I would have trouble just swallowing a pill before.

"I think this treatment is marvelous. It's is better than using those lemon-flavored swabs."

Before, the only therapy available used the swabs to initiate a gag reflex in the throat, which stimulated the throat muscles. Koenig said that it sometimes took 3-4 months before obtaining any noticeable results with that method.

"With VitalStem Therapy, we are seeing results in days," she said. "Roy just started last week and he is able to swallow great now."

The hospital started using VitalStem Therapy on March 3 and has had marked success with every patient treated.

Each patient is referred to the program by their physician and will have a formal swallow evaluation either by radiation and/or fiber optic endoscopy and that includes inserting a fiber optic light/camera in the nose into the back of the throat and viewing the patient while they swallow various types of food.

"We can tell what problem the patient may have by doing this," said Koenig. "This will tell us how and where to place the probes to do the treatments.

"We do each program to fit the needs of the patient. If they have trouble swallowing thin liquids like Roy, that is what we work on. If the patient has problems with thick liquids, then we focus on that.

"The treatments are done one on one with each patient."

During treatment, small electrodes are placed externally on the neck. The patient will feel a crawling feeling (like a tickle, said Rettinger) and then a grabbing sensation.

While the machine is on, Koenig will be giving the patient trials of foods/liquids to swallow, listening at the same time with a stethoscope for each swallow. The machine is timed to work for one hour, the duration of each treatment.

"The machine is designed to be on for a certain amount of time and then off," said Koenig. "This gives the muscles in the throat a break."

VitalStem Therapy actually retrains the brain to swallow involuntarily after 10 treatments and is designed to be done for 5-6 consecutive days in a row.

"Eating is such a social thing," said Koenig. "Not being able to swallow really limits that."

Koenig said that the treatment is designed for patients with head injuries, stroke, Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease), head and neck cancers and people that have been oxygen deprived.

"Patients that get choked easily on liquids, solids or have been told that they can never eat again are responding to this therapy," Koenig said. "The treatment has been done (in other areas) on a child as young as five days old to the oldest of patients that haven't been able to swallow in 10-20 years."

Koenig recommends that interested persons contact their physician and get an order for speech therapy (with the use of electrical stimulation for Dysphagia or swallowing difficulties).

They can then schedule a swallow evaluation by calling the Rehabilitation Department at Randolph Hospital at 629-8835.

"Before treatment, some patients struggle just to get saliva down," Koenig said. "Now patients like Roy can drink the coffee he enjoys after just a few treatments."