Treatment depends on how severe the pneumonia is and how ill the person is before the aspiration chronic illness. Sometimes a ventilator breathing machine is needed to support breathing. You may need to have your swallowing function tested. People who have trouble swallowing may need to use other feeding methods to reduce the risk of aspiration. Call your provider, go to the emergency room, or call the local emergency number such as if you have:.
Musher DM. Overview of pneumonia. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; chap Bacterial pneumonia and lung abscess. Murray and Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; chap URAC's accreditation program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit.
Learn more about A. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. You rise to your feet to cheer — but some of those peanut crumbles in your mouth catch in your throat. After a coughing fit, you finally feel some relief. But what the heck just happened? Normally, a well-coordinated muscle interaction in your lower throat propels food into your food tube esophagus and protects your airways.
Your vocal cords and epiglottis help keep your airways closed off from food, drink or saliva. Pichurko says. Speech pathologists specialize in diagnosing and treating swallowing disorders. They often recommend thick foods that are easier to swallow and less likely to penetrate the airways during swallowing. This clinical approach is the most well-accepted. Some companies market devices that apply a weak electrical current to the neck to improve swallowing.
The long-term benefit of these devices is controversial. Further, these therapies have not been shown to enhance a weakened cough reflex. There are no drugs for the treatment of impaired swallow or cough.
It appears that the pharmaceutical industry has not yet recognized the importance of prevention of aspiration in patients with neurological disease in disease outcome. A team in Japan has promoted a comprehensive protocol using sensory stimuli such as menthol and capsaicin, the pungent ingredient in red peppers, to help elderly people who have serious impairments in swallowing.
Their preliminary results show impressive improvements in reducing aspiration pneumonias in these patients. The extent to which this method can prevent pneumonia in at-risk patients is unknown at this time.
In short, while there are some promising approaches, there are no widely accepted therapies for restoring weakened swallow and cough in patients at significant risk of aspiration. Continued research on the fundamental neurological mechanisms of coughing and swallowing will provide a foundation for new therapies to reduce the occurrence and severity of aspiration pneumonia.
Portsmouth Climate Festival — Portsmouth, Portsmouth. Edition: Available editions United Kingdom. Become an author Sign up as a reader Sign in. Don Bolser , University of Florida. It may seem strange to say this, but count yourself lucky.
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