Understanding dysphagia and aspiration

Good morning. We have become very focused on Maureen's chewing and swallowing. This is for good reason. One of the primary exposures we must proactively manage is called aspiration pneumonia.

A patient who is having difficulty swallowing suffers from what is called dysphagia. This condition can in turn cause a patient to aspirate—when something enters your airway or lungs by accident. It may be food, liquid or some other material.

I recently found some very informative, brief and well-written content in the St Luke's Health System Web site on dysphagia and aspiration. Please click/tap here to go to the page. Kindly take the time to read and become familiar with these two concepts at your earliest convenience.

Thank you.

Tom, Carolyn and Brian