Pharyngeal Electrical Stimulation versus None for Post-Stroke Dysphagia: Rationale, Design, and Protocol for the Parallel Group Superiority Pharyngeal Electrical Stimulation for Acute Stroke Dysphagia Trial (PhEAST) (ISRCTN98886991).
Overview
and 9 other authors
Satish Mistry9, Craig J. Smith10,11, Thorsten Steiner12,13, Nikola Sprigg1,4, Alan A. Montgomery3, Marilyn James3, Timothy J. England1,5, Shaheen Hamdy14, Philip M. Bath1,414 affiliations
- Stroke Trials Unit, Mental Health and Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Acute Speech and Language Therapy Department, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
- Nottingham Clinical Trials Unit, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Stroke, Department of Medicine, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
- Stroke, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton, Derby, UK
- Department of Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, Klinikum Osnabrueck—Academic Teaching Hospital of the University Muenster, Osnabrueck, Germany
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Centre for Clinical Neurosciences and Prevention, University of Continuing Education Krems, Krems, Austria
- Phagenesis Ltd, Manchester, UK
- Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Manchester Centre for Clinical Neurosciences, Geoffrey Jefferson Brain Research Centre, Salford Royal Hospital, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, Salford, UK
- Department of Neurology, Varisano Klinikum Frankfurt Höchst, Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
- Centre for Gastrointestinal Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
Abstract
Introduction: Acute ischaemic stroke and primary intracerebral haemorrhage are complicated by oropharyngeal dysphagia in more than 50% of patients. Currently, there are no definitive treatments for post-stroke dysphagia (PSD). Pharyngeal electrical stimulation (PES) can drive long-term beneficial changes in the cortical control of swallowing with functionally relevant reorganisation of the swallowing cortex correlating with reduced dysphagia.
Methods: The pharyngeal electrical stimulation for acute stroke dysphagia trial (PhEAST) is an international prospective randomised open-label blinded-endpoint parallel-group phase 4 superiority effectiveness trial. A total of 638 patients with PSD and dependency on nasogastric tube feeding are being recruited within 2–31 days of ictus. Participants are recruited from the UK and Austria and randomised to 6 days of optimised PES (given for 10 min each day) vs. no PES on top of standard care. The primary outcome is the dysphagia severity rating scale, an assessment of swallowing impairment, measured locally on day 14 and centrally at day 90 by trained observers masked to treatment and analysed using repeated measures regression analysis. Secondary outcomes include: functional oral intake scale, feeding status scale, international dysphagia diet standardisation initiative scale, presence of a feeding tube, pneumonia, antibiotic use, health-related quality of life, dependency, disability, frailty, mood, cognition, global impact and health economics at days 14, 90, 180, and 365. Safety measures include death and serious adverse events.
Conclusion: PhEAST has recruited more than 574 participants from 45 hospitals in the UK and Austria; recruitment will be complete at the end of October 2026. The attached Supplement summarises the protocol and follows the EQUATOR SPIRIT guideline.
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY-NC), from the paper cited above.
Code
The paper links to its data, not to its authors' code: see the Data section.
Tracing map
A tracing map links a paper to the code its authors published: this paper has none, so it has no map.
Data
Datasets cited
- figshare:33033464, at figshare; found in DataCite
Data Availability Statement
Once completed, individual patient data will be shared with the virtual international stroke trials archive. See the online supplement for further details.
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY-NC), from the paper cited above.
Versions
The history of this record: each version stored by the harvester or made by a correction of its authors or of the maintainers of its code, and what changed in its facts. The texts of the paper (its abstract, its availability statements) are not part of it; versions that changed only those are not listed.
Version 2, 28 September 2026
- Authors: added Iris Isheanesu Mhlanga (0000-0003-3475-1630); Cameron J.C. Skinner (0009-0005-2235-6950); Amanda Buck (0009-0005-9525-2319); Gwenllian Wilkinson (0000-0001-5825-6891); Kennedy M. Cadman (0009-0002-8769-7447); Jason P. Appleton (0000-0002-2604-4410); Rainer Dziewas (0000-0003-1592-8461); Kailash Krishnan (0000-0002-6486-3783); Karl Matz (0000-0002-2851-9897); Satish Mistry (0000-0003-4529-7197); Craig J. Smith (0000-0002-9078-9919); Thorsten Steiner (0000-0002-5080-8222); Nikola Sprigg (0000-0002-5871-8168); Alan A. Montgomery (0000-0003-0450-1606); Marilyn James (0000-0003-0408-7898); Timothy J. England (0000-0001-5330-8584); Philip M. Bath (0000-0003-2734-5132); removed Iris Isheanesu Mhlanga; Cameron J.C. Skinner; Amanda Buck; Gwenllian Wilkinson; Kennedy M. Cadman; Jason P. Appleton; Rainer Dziewas; Kailash Krishnan; Karl Matz; Satish Mistry; Craig J. Smith; Thorsten Steiner; Nikola Sprigg; Alan A. Montgomery; Marilyn James; Timothy J. England; Philip M. Bath
Version 1, 27 September 2026: the first record
Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 29 authors, 5 keywords, 18 MeSH terms, 1 funder, 19 references.
Cite
This paper
Benfield, J. K., Everton, L. F., Woodhouse, L. J., Mhlanga, I. I., Latulipe, C., Skinner, C. J., Buck, A., Squires, G., Roadevin, C., Fiddy-Kent, R., Munsif, N., Wilkinson, G., Cadman, K. M., Hamilton, T., Smith, P., Appleton, J. P., Dziewas, R., Iversen, H. K., Krishnan, K., . . . Bath, P. M. (2026). Pharyngeal Electrical Stimulation versus None for Post-Stroke Dysphagia: Rationale, Design, and Protocol for the Parallel Group Superiority Pharyngeal Electrical Stimulation for Acute Stroke Dysphagia Trial (PhEAST) (ISRCTN98886991). Cerebrovascular diseases extra, 16(1), 248-254. https://
BibTeX
@article{benfield2026pha
author = {Benfield, Jacqueline K. and Everton, Lisa F. and Woodhouse, Lisa J. and Mhlanga, Iris Isheanesu and Latulipe, Corinne and Skinner, Cameron J.C. and Buck, Amanda and Squires, Gemma and Roadevin, Cristina and Fiddy-Kent, Roxanne and Munsif, Nazrana and Wilkinson, Gwenllian and Cadman, Kennedy M. and Hamilton, Tiffany and Smith, Patrick and Appleton, Jason P. and Dziewas, Rainer and Iversen, Helle K. and Krishnan, Kailash and Matz, Karl and Mistry, Satish and Smith, Craig J. and Steiner, Thorsten and Sprigg, Nikola and Montgomery, Alan A. and James, Marilyn and England, Timothy J. and Hamdy, Shaheen and Bath, Philip M.},
title = {{Pharyngeal Electrical Stimulation versus None for Post-Stroke Dysphagia: Rationale, Design, and Protocol for the Parallel Group Superiority Pharyngeal Electrical Stimulation for Acute Stroke Dysphagia Trial (PhEAST) (ISRCTN98886991)}},
journal = {Cerebrovascular diseases extra},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
volume = {16},
number = {1},
pages = {248--254},
publisher = {Karger Publishers},
issn = {1664-5456},
doi = {10.1159/
url = {https://
pmid = {42479663},
pmcid = {PMC13498320}
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
AU - Benfield, Jacqueline K.
AU - Everton, Lisa F.
AU - Woodhouse, Lisa J.
AU - Mhlanga, Iris Isheanesu
AU - Latulipe, Corinne
AU - Skinner, Cameron J.C.
AU - Buck, Amanda
AU - Squires, Gemma
AU - Roadevin, Cristina
AU - Fiddy-Kent, Roxanne
AU - Munsif, Nazrana
AU - Wilkinson, Gwenllian
AU - Cadman, Kennedy M.
AU - Hamilton, Tiffany
AU - Smith, Patrick
AU - Appleton, Jason P.
AU - Dziewas, Rainer
AU - Iversen, Helle K.
AU - Krishnan, Kailash
AU - Matz, Karl
AU - Mistry, Satish
AU - Smith, Craig J.
AU - Steiner, Thorsten
AU - Sprigg, Nikola
AU - Montgomery, Alan A.
AU - James, Marilyn
AU - England, Timothy J.
AU - Hamdy, Shaheen
AU - Bath, Philip M.
TI - Pharyngeal Electrical Stimulation versus None for Post-Stroke Dysphagia: Rationale, Design, and Protocol for the Parallel Group Superiority Pharyngeal Electrical Stimulation for Acute Stroke Dysphagia Trial (PhEAST) (ISRCTN98886991)
T2 - Cerebrovascular diseases extra
J2 - Cerebrovasc Dis Extra
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/
VL - 16
IS - 1
SP - 248
EP - 254
SN - 1664-5456
PB - Karger Publishers
DO - 10.1159/
UR - https://
LA - en
ER -
CSL-JSON
{
"id": "10.1159/
"type": "article-journal",
"title": "Pharyngeal Electrical Stimulation versus None for Post-Stroke Dysphagia: Rationale, Design, and Protocol for the Parallel Group Superiority Pharyngeal Electrical Stimulation for Acute Stroke Dysphagia Trial (PhEAST) (ISRCTN98886991)",
"container-title": "Cerebrovascular diseases extra",
"author": [
{
"family": "Benfield",
"given": "Jacqueline K."
},
{
"family": "Everton",
"given": "Lisa F."
},
{
"family": "Woodhouse",
"given": "Lisa J."
},
{
"family": "Mhlanga",
"given": "Iris Isheanesu"
},
{
"family": "Latulipe",
"given": "Corinne"
},
{
"family": "Skinner",
"given": "Cameron J.C."
},
{
"family": "Buck",
"given": "Amanda"
},
{
"family": "Squires",
"given": "Gemma"
},
{
"family": "Roadevin",
"given": "Cristina"
},
{
"family": "Fiddy-Kent",
"given": "Roxanne"
},
{
"family": "Munsif",
"given": "Nazrana"
},
{
"family": "Wilkinson",
"given": "Gwenllian"
},
{
"family": "Cadman",
"given": "Kennedy M."
},
{
"family": "Hamilton",
"given": "Tiffany"
},
{
"family": "Smith",
"given": "Patrick"
},
{
"family": "Appleton",
"given": "Jason P."
},
{
"family": "Dziewas",
"given": "Rainer"
},
{
"family": "Iversen",
"given": "Helle K."
},
{
"family": "Krishnan",
"given": "Kailash"
},
{
"family": "Matz",
"given": "Karl"
},
{
"family": "Mistry",
"given": "Satish"
},
{
"family": "Smith",
"given": "Craig J."
},
{
"family": "Steiner",
"given": "Thorsten"
},
{
"family": "Sprigg",
"given": "Nikola"
},
{
"family": "Montgomery",
"given": "Alan A."
},
{
"family": "James",
"given": "Marilyn"
},
{
"family": "England",
"given": "Timothy J."
},
{
"family": "Hamdy",
"given": "Shaheen"
},
{
"family": "Bath",
"given": "Philip M."
}
],
"container-title-short":
"volume": "16",
"issue": "1",
"page": "248-254",
"DOI": "10.1159/
"PMID": "42479663",
"PMCID": "PMC13498320",
"ISSN": "1664-5456",
"publisher": "Karger Publishers",
"URL": "https://
"language": "en",
"issued": {
"date-parts": [
[
2026,
7,
21
]
]
}
}
Similar papers
The papers with a page that share the most with this one: the tools found in their code, their categories, datasets, cited references and authors, the rarest counting most.
- [1] doi:10.7759/cureus.110620 [code]
- Top-Cited Articles on Dysphagia and Cognitive Impairment: A Scopus-Based Bibliometric Analysis of Publications Retrieved Through October 2025.Journal: CureusIn common: stroke, clinical / translational, 5 references
- [2] doi:10.1093/braincomms/fcag309 [code]
- Neurovascular effects of tadalafil in patients with cerebral small vessel disease: ETLAS-2 substudy.Journal: Brain communicationsIn common: stroke, clinical / translational, author Helle K Iversen
- [3] doi:10.1186/s13063-026-09866-2
- Efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation for post-stroke urinary incontinence: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.Journal: TrialsIn common: stroke, clinical / translational, 1 reference
- [4] doi:10.1161/jaha.125.046088 [code]
- Systematic Identification of Therapeutic Targets and Repurposed Drugs for Stroke: From Genome Causal Analysis to Multilevel Validation.Journal: Journal of the American Heart AssociationIn common: stroke, 1 reference
- [5] doi:10.1186/s40814-026-01854-2
- Continuity Therapy for couples living with acquired brain injury: a non-randomised uncontrolled feasibility study.Journal: Pilot and feasibility studiesIn common: behavior only, stroke, clinical / translational
- [6] doi:10.64898/2026.05.12.26353056 [code]
- Neuroimaging and behavioural biomarkers of post-stroke cognitive recovery outcomesJournal: medRxiv (preprint)In common: behavior only, stroke, clinical / translational
- [7] doi:10.1038/s42003-026-10751-6 [code]
- Frequency-specific cortical subnetworks support fast human swallowing.Journal: Communications biologyIn common: 1 reference
- [8] doi:10.1111/ejn.70528 [code]
- Dorsal Posterior Parietal Cortex Lesions Disrupt Spatial- but Not Motor-Based Inhibition.Journal: The European journal of neuroscienceIn common: behavior only, stroke
- [9] doi:10.1038/s41467-026-75588-3 [code]
- Frequency-dependent effects of motor thalamus deep brain stimulation on speech and swallowing.Journal: Nature communicationsIn common: 1 reference
- [10] doi:10.1016/j.stemcr.2026.102926
- Long-term safety and clinical outcomes from a single-site phase 1 study of neural stem cell transplantation for chronic cervical spinal cord injury.Journal: Stem cell reportsIn common: 1 reference
Contribute
The authors of this paper can claim it, correct its record and validate its tracing map, and the maintainers of its code (its owner, or a public member of its organization) correct what it says of their repository; anyone signed in can ask for its removal. Every request goes to OSCR's own machine, which answers it; your account page follows them.
Sign in with ORCID to claim this paper as one of its authors, correct its record or validate its tracing map: when the paper's metadata lists your ORCID iD, you are recognized at once. Maintainers of its code: sign in with GitHub, then claim the repository on your account page.
Claim this paper
Correct its record
Say what each link of this record is, remove the ones that are not the paper's, add the ones that are missing. The correction becomes a new version of the record, in its Versions section.
Request its removal
To ask OSCR to remove this record, the copies of its authors' scripts or its tracing map, use the removal request page: signed in, you say who you are, what to remove and why, then review and confirm the request. Published rules decide every request (how).
Discussion, reproductions, activity
Discussion: questions and error reports about this paper and its code, from signed-in readers and its authors. It opens with sign-in.
Reproductions: reports from readers who ran the authors' code: what they reproduced, with which environment, commit and data. It opens with sign-in.
Activity: what happens around this paper: new versions of its record, its map's validation, discussions and reproductions. It opens with sign-in.