393 – Clinks, Clunks, and Clinical Confidence: Rethinking Cervical Auscultation – Julie Cichero BA, BSpThy(Hons), PhD
Swallow Your Pride Podcast
Theresa Richard, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-S
4.8 • 899 Ratings
🗓️ 13 April 2026
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this episode, Theresa sits down with Dr. Julie Cichero, a clinician, researcher, and one of the foremost experts in dysphagia with over 30 years of experience, to talk about something that has had a complicated reputation in our field: cervical auscultation. If you trained in the 90s, you probably learned it. If you trained more recently, you might have been told to ignore it. The truth, as it turns out, is a lot more nuanced than either camp wants to admit.
Dr. Cichero breaks down what the evidence actually shows, including sensitivities of around 91% and negative predictive values that should genuinely change how we think about using this tool at the bedside. She explains why it's not really about the "clink and clunk" sounds at all, and why the breathing pattern after the swallow is where the real clinical information lives. She also shares what proper training looks like, how cervical auscultation fits alongside instrumental assessment (not instead of it), and two clinical stories involving pharyngeal pouches that are honestly pretty wild.
Get the show notes and references here: https://syppodcast.com/393
The post 393 – Clinks, Clunks, and Clinical Confidence: Rethinking Cervical Auscultation – Julie Cichero BA, BSpThy(Hons), PhD appeared first on Swallow Your Pride Podcast.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, my friends. Welcome back on this episode of the Swallow Your Pride podcast. We have Dr. Julie |
| 0:06.1 | Chikiro. She is a clinician, SLP, and researcher and research professional with more than 30 years |
| 0:12.2 | of experience in dysphasia. Julie is an honorary associate professor with the School of Pharmacy and |
| 0:17.4 | Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Queensland, and director of Eat, Drink, Swallow, Safe. |
| 0:22.8 | She has made significant contributions to the evidence-based for standardized terminology, for |
| 0:26.9 | texture-modified food, and thick liquids, diagnostic use of swallow respiratory sounds, |
| 0:32.4 | medication-swallowing issues, and characterization of thick fluids. Julie holds workshops on dysphasia throughout Australia |
| 0:38.6 | and is an invited international speaker across Asia, Europe, Canada, and the U.S. |
| 0:43.4 | Recognized nationally and internationally, Julie is a consultant to professional societies, |
| 0:47.9 | government organizations, academia, coroners, boards, and healthcare organizations. |
| 0:53.3 | As co-founder of ITI Global, Julie co-led |
| 0:56.2 | development of the ITSI framework and initiative to reduce choking risk in vulnerable populations. |
| 1:01.5 | The IDSI framework is used in more than 50 countries around the world. |
| 1:05.6 | Julie has served as a clinical expert to the Aged Care Standards Expert Working Group for the |
| 1:10.3 | Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare and as a consultant for the Australian Stroke Foundation, Speech Pathology Australia, Dietitians, Australia, and the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia. |
| 1:21.9 | Julie has authored 80 journal articles and co-authored four books. |
| 1:26.2 | She is based in Brisbane, Australia, and I hope you all |
| 1:29.1 | love this conversation. Welcome to the Swallow Your Pride podcast. I'm your host, Teresa Richard. I'm a board certified |
| 1:47.1 | specialist in swallowing and swallowing disorders, a mobile fees business owner and founder of |
| 1:52.1 | the MetSLP Collective. This podcast is all about delivering the latest evidence-based practice |
| 1:57.0 | to medical SLPs everywhere. Whether you're a new clinician seeking tangible tools for |
| 2:01.6 | treatment or a seasoned vet stuck in a rut, my goal is to help ditch the old school ways of the |
... |
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