Strategies To Aspiration Pneumonia Prevention

By Helen Ward


There are various kinds of illnesses. There are those which can be prevented and those which cannot. Those that can be prevented require individual effort in following all the preventive measures in order to avoid acquiring the illness. On this paper we shall discus some of the procedures of aspiration pneumonia prevention.

Maintain Proper Posture when Having a Meal or taking liquids. It recommended that when taking food, the individual should seat in an upright posture to enable food to follow the right channel in to the stomach. This also applies to hospital patients who are bed ridden. In this scenario, the head of the bed is usually elevated in almost an upright posture to allow effective swallowing. Being on wrong posture may direct the food to the wind pipe which may lead to respiratory problems.

Use of Proper Quantity of Sedatives. Sedatives help in reducing the frequency of coughs and gags. Experiencing a cough in the midst of a meal or when taking a liquid is dangerous because it can easily lead to entry of the substance into the wind pipe which can further lead to tracheal and lung infection. It is advisable to take appropriate amounts of these sedatives to avoid side its severe side effects.

Maintaining Proper Eating Etiquettes. Every individual is encouraged to keep quite while eating. This is so because when somebody is talking, the upper part of the windpipe usually opens and may allow entry of food. Observing this basic table manner will help in preventing the food or other ingested material from finding their way into the windpipe which can lead to health problems.

Avoid Inserting Objects into the Nose. The nose offers a passage of air in to the lower respiratory track. This opening also can offer entry of other things which can pose danger to individuals health. One should avoid inserting objects into the nose because they may slip inside and cause infections especially when such objects have disease-causing microorganisms.

Seek out for Medical Help as soon as you Suspect signs of Infection. Every infection including that of aspiration pneumonia has specific signs that show up immediately when one is infected. It is crucial for one to seek medical attention when suspecting any infection. This helps in preventing the advancement of the infection by getting proper preventive medication and following the doctors advice.

Abide by the Doctors Assistance. It is good to consult and follow what the doctor or other medical practitioners suggest about a given preventive measure. The doctors always give the best ways of preventing a given medical condition and following these guidelines enable an individual from acquiring and infection that might lead to an illness.

The need to be healthy is a universal need of every individual. Everyone wishes to protect his/ her self from getting infected and falling sick. This is however not easy to be achieved by every individual due to many factors. It therefore remains an individual effort to ensure that he/she avoids infection by following all the procedures of doing so from all the available and reliable sources.




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