VitalStim Plus Electrotherapy and SEMG Biofeedback System

Who Uses This Product? VitalStim Plus Electrotherapy and SEMG Biofeedback System is used by patients and caregivers who are participating in training exercises that aid in the treatment and rehabilitation of dysphagia.

Why They Love It? Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) has been shown to reduce the emotional and physical toll of using feeding tubes. The VitalStim Plus System helps to give dysphagia patients their lives back, supporting them as they strengthen the muscles in the throat that aid with swallowing food. This biofeedback system allows clinicians to easily track patient progress and customize each patient's treatment.

The VitalStim Plus Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation System is an interactive therapy device used for dysphagia rehabilitation. This interactive neuromuscular electrical stimulation device helps recruit and re-educate the muscles necessary for swallowing. It provides patients with audible and visual feedback, leading to increased patient engagement in swallowing exercises. With the guidance of a clinician, patients can work to achieve their goals and overcome difficulties with greater engagement using the VitalStim Plus Biofeedback Device. This comprehensive electrotherapy device provides feedback, promotes participation, and tracks and stores patient data. VitalStim Plus offers four treatment modes, customizable programs, educational resources, and games to promote muscle strengthening. 

• VitalStim Treatment. This treatment setting is used on the anterior of the neck where the swallowing muscles are located. The waveform is delivered in Co-Contraction Mode and has up to four channels that help deliver stimulation concurrently and pause at the same time. 
• VMS Treatment. This setting has a low skin load and is used on the facial muscles. Clinicians can control the treatment protocol by adjusting settings such as frequency, duration, and work and rest time. The VMS Treatment offers additional flexibility by allowing clinicians to sequence the stimulations that are more closely related to a natural swallowing pattern. 
• sEMG Treatment. This surface biofeedback treatment is used on the swallowing musculature of the face and the neck for muscle re-education and relaxation training. The electrical signals in the muscles are measured and displayed on a screen. It also allows measurements to be amplified into sounds so patients can hear it. This feedback increases engagement with patients and provides accurate data that is used to track and measure patient outcomes and goal achievements. 
• sEMG+ Triggered Stim. In this treatment setting, patients initiate swallowing exercises with the help of the VMS waveform coupled with sEMG biofeedback for maximum muscle retraining benefit. When the set goal is achieved, the device will switch to stimulation mode to help increase the exercise and effort load. 

Use caution with patients who have cardiac demand pacemakers or other implanted electrical devices. The VitalStim Plus Electrotherapy System should not be used:

• When cancerous lesions are present
• Over swollen, infected, or inflamed areas
• Over skin eruptions such as varicose veins and phlebitis
• On patients who have severe dementia and demonstrate nonstop verbalization (constant verbalization could lead to aspiration during treatment) 
• On patients with significant reflexes caused by feedings tubes, as the device has not been studied in this group
• On individuals with undiagnosed syndromes or until etiology is established
• On patients with dysphagia due to drug toxicity, as this group could risk aspirating during treatment
• On those with serious infectious diseases or diseases where it is advised to suppress heat or fevers.