Thickened liquids are one of the most common recommendations in dysphagia management—but are they always the safest option?

In this episode of Speech Talk, Emily and Eva review The Adverse Effects and Events of Thickened Liquid Use in Adults: A Systematic Review and dig into the real evidence behind thickened liquids. We talk aspiration risk, dehydration, pneumonia, quality of life, and why dysphagia management is rarely as simple as “just thicken it.”

From the proxy problem in aspiration research to free water protocols and real-world SNF decision-making, this conversation explores why thickened liquids can help some patients, harm others, and almost always require careful clinical judgment.

Because when it comes to dysphagia management… thickened liquids are complicated.

Citations

Abrams, S. W., Gandhi, P., & Namasivayam-MacDonald, A. M. (2023). The adverse effects and events of thickened liquid use in adults: A systematic review. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_AJSLP-22-00380

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