Swallowing is not uncommon and can happen to both adults and children at times. However, it can be dangerous if foreign bodies block the windpipe, which can lead to shortness of breath and, in the worst case, even suffocation. What to do in case of swallowing, you can learn here.
Why is swallowing so dangerous?
Foreign bodies in the trachea can block it, causing shortness of breath and, in the worst case, choking; fluids can run into bronchial tubes and alveoli, causing massive pneumonia. Both of these consequences of aspiration can be fatal.
Swallowing too large a morsel can also have life-threatening consequences: Doctors refer to this as bolus death, which occurs when too large a morsel of food (a bolus) gets stuck between the larynx and esophagus and causes cardiac arrest.
What can be done?
One immediate measure used against swallowing is familiar to all of us: simply tap the affected person on the upper back to assist the coughing mechanism that brings the swallowed object back up.
Even infants and small children can be helped with this method: To do this, place the infant prone on your thigh or forearm and gently tap his or her back. Infants should bend forward strongly – usually this movement alone is enough for a cough reflex to be triggered.
What to do if small parts are swallowed?
In the case of swallowed objects in infancy, waiting is a possible treatment option – however, the swallowed foreign body must then be no larger than 2 centimeters in diameter and have no sharp or pointed edges. In the course of a week, the foreign body will be eliminated naturally.
If you are unsure about the quality of the foreign body, see your doctor; an x-ray can often clarify the size, location, and material issues of the foreign body.
Heimlich-Hangriff
If the swallowed foreign body greatly impedes breathing, the victim may become unconscious – life-saving first aid measures are needed now. Notify the emergency physician and assist the victim’s breathing by giving regular breaths until the emergency physician arrives.
A drastic measure used when someone is in real danger of choking is the Heimlich grab, which involves grabbing both arms around the victim’s chest and applying massive upward pressure in synchronization with the coughing attempts. This grip brings larger morsels from the esophagus and trachea back to the light of day, but should only be performed by those trained in it because of the possible accompanying injuries.
Chronic dysphagia
Chronic dysphagia is often associated not only with pneumonia, but also causes the affected person to eat and drink less and less: He loses weight and his nutritional status deteriorates. In specialized departments and clinics, it is possible to examine exactly how food enters the trachea. For this purpose
- The various pharyngeal muscles are examined
- The eating process closely observed and
- By means of endoscopy and contrast radiographs deviations from the normal swallowing process detected.
Depending on the results, the food is then adapted to the specific problem of each patient, different swallowing techniques are tried with a deviated posture or attempts are made to restore the normal swallowing process with, for example, biofeedback methods. The therapy usually has to be carried out for several months, but then an improvement can be achieved in more than 60 percent of those affected.
