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This information explains what you can do to prevent aspiration when you’re eating, drinking, or tube feeding.
Aspiration is when food or liquid goes into your airway instead of your esophagus. Your esophagus is the tube that carries food and liquid from your mouth to your stomach. Aspiration can happen when you’re eating, drinking, or tube feeding. It can also happen when you’re vomiting (throwing up) or when you have heartburn.
You may be at risk of aspiration if you have trouble swallowing. This is because food or liquid can get stuck in the back of your throat and go into your airway. Aspiration can lead to pneumonia, respiratory infections (infections in your nose, throat, or lungs), and other health problems.
Signs of aspiration include:
You and your caregiver should watch for these signs before, during, and after you eat, drink, or tube feed.
If you have any of these signs, stop eating, drinking, or tube feeding. Call your healthcare provider right away.
Follow these guidelines to prevent aspiration when you’re eating and drinking by mouth:
Figure 1. Sitting up at a 45-degree angle
Follow these guidelines to prevent aspiration if you’re tube feeding:
To help prevent aspiration, it’s important to pace your feedings. Follow the guidelines below during your feedings to make sure you’re not taking in more than you can digest:
If you have any questions, call your Clinical Dietitian Nutritionist at 212-639-7312 or Nutrition Advanced Practice Provider (APP) at 212-639-6984.
Contact your healthcare provider if you have any of the following:
If you’re having problems breathing or any other emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room right away.
Chapter 6. Non-Parenteral Medication Administration Medication is usually given orally, which is generally the most comfortable and convenient route for the patient. Medication given orally has a slower onset and a more prolonged, but less potent, effect than medication administered by other routes (Lynn, 2011). Prior to oral administration of medications, ensure that the patient has no contraindications to receiving oral medication, is able to swallow, and is not on gastric suction. If the patient is having difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), some tablets may be crushed using a clean mortar and pestle for easier administration. Verify that a tablet may be crushed by consulting a drug reference or a pharmacist. Medications such as enteric-coated tablets, capsules, and sustained-release or long-acting drugs should never be crushed because doing so will affect the intended action of the medication. Tablets should be crushed one at a time and not mixed, so that it is possible to tell drugs apart if there is a spill. You may mix the medication in a small amount of soft food, such as applesauce or pudding. Position the patient in a side-lying or upright position to decrease the risk of aspiration. Offer a glass of water or other oral fluid (that is not contraindicated with the medication) to ease swallowing and improve absorption and dissolution of the medication, taking any fluid restrictions into account. Remain with the patient until all medication has been swallowed before signing that you administered the medication. Checklist 44 outlines the steps for administering medication by mouth.
Medication via a Gastric TubePatients with a gastric tube (nasogastric, nasointestinal, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy [PEG], or jejenostomy [J] tube) will often receive medication through this tube (Lynn, 2011). Liquid medications should always be used when possible because absorption is better and less likely to cause blockage of the tube. Certain solid forms of medication can be crushed and mixed with water prior to administration. Checklist 45 outlines the steps for administering medication via a gastric tube.
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