NCT06475365
Salt Water Gargling on Swallowing Following ACDF
Enrolling by Invitation
NAAges 18–80InterventionalSupportive careUniversity of Southern CaliforniaInvestigator-initiated
~50 participants
Updated 2025-07-18 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Sodium chloride gargle
At a glance
Recruiting sites
0 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Number of Participants with a SWAL-QOL Score of Greater Than 14
Measured over 0 - 1 month
Conditions
Where it's being run
1 sites across 1 statesCalifornia1
Study leadership
- Ram K Alluri, M.D. · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · Assistant Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery
Who to contact
This trial hasn't published a contact. View it on ClinicalTrials.gov
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Eligibility criteria
Inclusion
Patients ≥ 18 years of age
Patients undergoing a multi-level (2-, 3-, or 4-level) ACDF procedure
Single-approach (anterior only) ACDF - English or Spanish-speaking patients
Undergoing treatment at Keck Medical Center of USC
Exclusion
Patients ≤ 18 years of age
Patients undergoing any revision ACDF procedure
Patients undergoing ACDF with combined approaches (i.e. anterior + posterior)
Patients with spinal pathologies or deformities that are non-degenerative or idiopathic (i.e. trauma, infection, malignancy, or tumor)
Patients with a prior diagnosis related to swallowing issues (i.e. esophagitis, Barrett's esophagus, Sjogren syndrome, multiple sclerosis (MS), or laryngitis)
Patients with an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score ≥ 4
What this trial measures
- Number of Participants with a SWAL-QOL Score of Greater Than 140 - 1 month
The Swallowing-Related Quality of Life (SWAL-QOL) questionnaire is a 44-question assessment that measures the severity of oropharyngeal dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) and the impact it has on quality of life. Patients with score of greater than or equal to 14 are indicative of have some sort of difficulty with swallowing. This will be used to assess if patients in the Salt Water Gargle arm (intervention) have any relief after completing the described intervention.