Welcome to the second edition of Comprehensive Management of Swallowing Disorders. This textbook provides one of the most comprehensive works on dysphagia that the world has ever seen.
If you are fortunate to live long enough, it is likely that you or someone you love will develop a swallowing disorder. The disability caused by dysphagia can be physically and emotionally devastating. Some have likened the suffering to a perpetual state of being water boarded. Our patients with dysphagia, however, are resilient and remarkably courageous in their fight to restore dignity to a life that has been radically altered.
Although there has been great advance in swallowing diagnostics, there has been little progress in the management of profound dysphagia. This second edition textbook addresses a fundamental knowledge gap and provides the dysphagia clinician with a comprehensive foundation for which future treatment innovation can be made.
I would like to thank the editors and contributors for their tireless effort, consummate devotion, and enduring passion in the completion of this work. Your dedication is infectious and provides the catalyst for future progress.
We must take advantage of the opportunity provided by this work to disrupt the stagnation in translational research for swallowing disorders. Complacency is not an option. For those of us who do battle in the clinic, on the ward, in the operating room, and in the lab, let us redouble our efforts to innovate, raise awareness, and make a difference. Vitalize your sense of innovation and THINK BIG. The time is now.