Developing evidence based guidelines for managing choking in MND.
Principal Investigator: Dr Sara Mazzucco
Lead Institution: Great Western Hospital Foundation Trust
MND Association Funding: £269,838
Funding dates: February 2025 - January 2028
About the project
MND affects muscles in the throat and chest, which causes difficulty with breathing, coughing and swallowing. Choking, where breathing becomes difficult due to airway blockage, is more frequent, severe and prolonged in people living with MND. This can lead to emergency calls, hospital admissions, and unplanned medical procedures. This project aims to develop guidance on choking, specifically for people living with and affected by MND. The researchers will summarise the existing evidence on management of choking in MND, comparing existing treatments and highlighting gaps in our knowledge. They will interview people living with MND, their carers and healthcare professionals to understand their experiences and needs, and involve them in the development of new guidance on managing choking in MND. The researchers will then share this guidance with the MND community and MND healthcare professionals.
What could this mean for MND research?
This research will ensure that there are clear, standardised guidelines for managing choking in MND, centred around the needs of people living with MND, their carers and healthcare professionals. This could alleviate anxiety around choking, and decrease the need for choking related emergency care and unplanned hospital admissions for people living with MND.
Project code: 2410-794