Grading of Kubota Experimental Methods

The Kubota test, the full name of "Kubuda drinking test", is an experimental method for evaluating swallowing disorders proposed by Japanese scholar Toshio Kubota.

This test determines whether the patient's swallowing function is impaired by observing the patient's performance when drinking a certain amount of water, and grades the patient accordingly. The Kubota experiment has clear classification and simple operation, which has important clinical significance for selecting patients with treatment indications.

The basic operation method of Kubota experiment is as follows: the patient takes a sitting position, drinks 30 ml of warm water, and observes how long it takes and whether there is choking or coughing. The swallowing function is divided into five levels according to the patient's performance in drinking water.

Level 1 (Excellent): The patient can smoothly swallow water in one go and complete it within 5 seconds. This indicates that the patient's swallowing function is normal. Grade 2 (good): The patient needs more than two times to swallow the water, but it takes more than 5 seconds or less than 10 seconds to complete. This suggests that the patient may have a slight impairment in swallowing function. Level 3 (moderate): The patient is able to swallow water in one sitting, but chokes and coughs while drinking water. This indicates that the patient's swallowing function has certain obstacles.

Level 4 (possible): The patient needs to take more than two times to swallow the water, and the patient chokes and coughs while drinking water. This shows that the patient's swallowing function has obvious obstacles. Grade 5 (poor): The patient coughs frequently and cannot swallow all the water. This indicates that the patient has severe impairment in swallowing function.

Introduction to the Kubota experiment

The grading standards of the Kubota experiment not only reflect the degree of patients' swallowing dysfunction, but also provide an important reference for clinical treatment. For example, for those patients with severe impairment of swallowing function (level 5), more active treatment measures, such as swallowing training, dietary modification, etc., may be required to prevent complications such as aspiration and malnutrition.

However, the Kubota experiment also has certain limitations. This test mainly relies on the patient's subjective feelings, which may be inconsistent with clinical and laboratory test results. In addition, the Kubota experiment requires patients to be conscious and able to complete the experiment according to instructions. For some patients who are unclear or unable to cooperate, accurate assessment may not be possible.

Nonetheless, the Kubota test is still an important method for evaluating swallowing disorders, especially in neurological rehabilitation, geriatric medicine and other fields. In actual operations, doctors need to comprehensively use the Kubota test and other evaluation methods based on the patient's specific situation to obtain more accurate diagnosis and treatment plans.

For the above content, please refer to Baidu Encyclopedia - Kubota Drinking Water Test (Experimental Method for Evaluating Swallowing Disorders)