4/14/2024 0 Comments Aspiration pneumonia lung soundsYour vital signs and oxygen levels can alert your provider of breathing issues. Physical exam: Listening to your chest with a stethoscope may identify abnormal lung sounds. They help give your provider context to the situation. Medical history: Your symptoms, medical conditions, and a history of similar problems are useful. Your provider has different tools to diagnose pneumonia, including: This is especially true in those who are older or have other risk factors. When looking for possible causes of pneumonia, providers will always consider aspiration. And then your provider will often look for the cause. How do you diagnose aspiration pneumonia?ĭiagnosing aspiration pneumonia begins with identifying the pneumonia. By then, the bacteria have had time to grow and cause pneumonia. In most cases, aspiration pneumonia doesn’t develop until 24 to 48 hours after an aspiration event. But these are usually a sign of lung irritation (pneumonitis) - not infection. Immediate symptoms can include coughing that won’t go away or difficulty breathing. Others may include choking, gagging, or a coughing event followed by immediate symptoms. ![]() Some aspirations go unnoticed and include small amounts of material multiple times per day. The severity of an aspiration event can widely vary. In general, the most common symptoms of aspiration pneumonia are similar to any other type of pneumonia. What are signs and symptoms of aspiration pneumonia? Medical conditions that increase the risk of vomiting can make an aspiration more likely. People with coexisting medical conditions Possible causes of decreased alertness include: Conditions that can cause weakness of the muscles of the mouth, throat, and esophagus are:Ī reduced level of alertness can interfere with your protective reflexes against aspiration. This often includes diseases involving the nerves and muscles of the head and neck. Many conditions can affect the ability to swallow normally. And you’re more likely to aspirate.Īnyone can get aspiration pneumonia, but there are several risk factors. But in situations where you aren't fully alert, these protective reflexes don’t work as well. This all happens without you even thinking about it. And structures around the vocal cords usually stop food and liquids from passing into the trachea. The body has protective reflexes against aspiration - like coughing. This increases the risk for aspiration pneumonia. Problems at any of these stages can cause abnormal swallowing (dysphagia). ![]() This is to keep food and liquid out as it moves into the esophagus (“food pipe”).Įsophageal stage: Muscles of the esophagus push food down to the stomach. Pharyngeal stage: Muscles around the vocal cords and throat block the entrance to the trachea. Oral stage: The tongue and other oral muscles push food or liquid toward the back of the throat. Swallowing requires coordination of nerves and muscles from the mouth to the stomach. Or it can be due to decreased levels of alertness. What causes aspiration pneumonia?Īspiration pneumonia is most commonly caused by uncoordinated swallowing. So if bacteria reach the lungs, this can start an infection and lead to pneumonia. But the lungs are normally a sterile environment. ![]() Bacteria are usually present when you aspirate because they live in the mouth and nose. Once in the lungs, the aspirated contents can irritate the lung tissues. From there, it can easily enter the lungs, which people often describe as something “going down the wrong pipe.” These contents typically include things like: What is aspiration pneumonia?ĭuring an aspiration event, stomach or mouth contents accidentally travel past the vocal cords and down into the trachea (windpipe). People with weak immune systems and chronic medical problems are also more at risk.Īspiration pneumonia is a bacterial lung infection with a specific cause - an aspiration event. But it’s most common in very young children and older adults. Pneumonia is a lung infection caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi.
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