Is a 'safe swallow' really safe?

The aim of this study was to look at whether full vocal cord adduction is achieved in 45 normal subjects when asked to hold their breath, as in the supraglottic safe swallow technique. Fiberoptic nasendoscopy was used to assess vocal cord adduction. Results show that 57.7% of normal subjects do not fully close their vocal cords for the complete duration of breath holding. This finding has implications for the efficacy of teaching methods of the supraglottic safe swallow technique.