GUSS (Gugging Swallowing Screen, post-stroke dysphagia)
Gugging Swallowing Screen (Trapl 2007): a two-stage post-stroke dysphagia screen.
Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.
Example
- Vigilance
- 1
- Voluntary cough or throat clearing
- 1
- Saliva swallow successful
- 1
- No drooling
- 1
- No voice change
- 1
- Semisolid deglutition
- 2
- Semisolid: no involuntary cough
- 1
- Semisolid: no drooling
- 1
- Semisolid: no voice change
- 1
- Liquid deglutition
- 1
The other 3 values
- Liquid: no involuntary cough
- 1
- Liquid: no drooling
- 1
- Liquid: no voice change
- 1
Result: GUSS 14 of 20 (moderate dysphagia). Semisolid diet only, NPO liquids; further SLP evaluation; FEES/VFSS per Trapl 2007.
The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.
What the result means
- 20
- Slight or no dysphagia, minimal aspiration risk. Normal diet, normal liquids.
- 15-19
- Slight dysphagia, low aspiration risk. Dysphagia diet (purée + thickened liquids); SLP evaluation; consider FEES/VFSS.
- 10-14
- Moderate dysphagia, aspiration risk. Semisolid diet only, NPO liquids; further SLP evaluation; FEES/VFSS.
- 0-9
- Severe dysphagia, high aspiration risk. NPO; consider NG/PEG; urgent SLP evaluation.
What you enter
- Vigilance: awake / alert (0-1)
- Voluntary cough or throat clearing (0-1)
- Saliva swallow successful (0-1)
- No drooling (0-1)
- No voice change (0-1)
- Semisolid deglutition (0-2)
- Semisolid: no involuntary cough (0-1)
- Semisolid: no drooling (0-1)
- Semisolid: no voice change (0-1)
- Liquid deglutition (0-2)
The other 7 fields
- Liquid: no involuntary cough (0-1)
- Liquid: no drooling (0-1)
- Liquid: no voice change (0-1)
- Solid deglutition (0-2)
- Solid: no involuntary cough (0-1)
- Solid: no drooling (0-1)
- Solid: no voice change (0-1)
How this is calculated
Trapl M, Enderle P, Nowotny M, Teuschl Y, Matz K, Dachenhausen A, Brainin M. Dysphagia bedside screening for acute-stroke patients: the Gugging Swallowing Screen. Stroke. 2007;38(11):2948-2952. Read the source ↗
A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.