My MBS!

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Though I love everything I do as a Speech-Language Pathologist, my favorite part of my job is performing Modified Barium Swallow Studies (MBS). The general purpose of an MBS is to evaluate the patients safety and efficiency of the swallow. It is an x-ray performed under fluoroscopy. This is a live, in-motion setting. Patients drink a variety of barium consistencies in order to view the bolus trials.

My hospital recently received a grant for a new digital swallow station. This was a huge upgrade for our hospital, we went from using VHS tapes to having a digital format! I was first in line to volunteer to make sure that our new equipment was working properly. Though I have performed more MBS's than I can count, it was such an eye-opening experience to actually partake in the study. For starters, I was amazed with how tight of a space it really is when you are sitting in the chair with the equipment in place. Second, thickened barium is pretty awful! All of the barium trials had a chalky-sweet taste but the honey thick barium's texture really got to me! Below you can see my MBS! As you can see this is a very normal swallow. Now my hospital is able to readily share what a "normal swallow" should look like. Please feel free to share this video for education for your patients as well!


Comments

  1. UnknownDecember 20, 2016 at 3:49 AM

    Nice swallow you have there, but I can't guess what is "normal swallow", ok what is not normal?
    https//admissionland.com

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