The Parent-Implemented Oral Nutrition, Eating and Esophageal Regulation (PIONEER) Products enhance development of oral-pharyngeal-esophageal motility in infants. This technology is a novel approach for training muscles in non-verbal patients, including neonates, infants, and individuals who have lost skills due to stroke, trauma, or developmental neuropathology. Unlike existing methods, these products stimulate muscles involved in esophageal peristalsis and airway protection without electrical stimulation. By engaging and pre-conditioning select muscles and nerves, the approach helps prevent developmental delays, cerebral palsy, and chronic eating and swallowing difficulties.

Approximately half a million infants are admitted to NICUs in the USA annually, thus, the technology’s impact on infant feeding and airway issues could be significant. Potential applications range from diagnostic and therapeutic purposes to rehabilitative therapy for chronic tube-fed infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) and post-discharge.

RINCH has filed a patent application (PCT/US23/81696) and the inventor is continuing to conduct clinical investigations.