Aspiration in children and infants

The entry of a foreign substance or object into the airway is called aspiration. **Aspiration in children** is more common than in adults. Of course, aspiration of a foreign body can sometimes be detected by the symptoms of coughing and choking. While there is silent pulmonary aspiration, which appears with milder symptoms in children. Stay with us until the end of this article to get to know the methods of **treatment and prevention of aspiration in children and babies**. **What is aspiration?** Pulmonary aspiration is a medical term for a situation where food enters the trachea and lungs. This condition leads to breathing problems and sometimes suffocation. Most people, especially children, experience this type of problem when they go the wrong way when they eat something. It may be a chronic problem caused by an eating disorder. Usually this happens when a person is eating or drinking something. In addition, this disorder may occur when a person breathes in water or when playing in a pool or river. Stomach contents, saliva, vomit, dust and smoke can greatly restrict the airway. It can also irritate the lungs and cause coughing and breathing problems. **Aspiration in children** and infants Aspiration is a common problem in children and is usually seen with symptoms of choking and coughing. It is possible that people around or parents do not notice this problem until the child has suffocation or chronic cough. A 2016 study reviewed the records of 102 children who underwent endoscopy after developing symptoms of this problem. The researchers found that 49 of these children got this disease due to mistakenly eating nut particles into the lungs. Pulmonary aspiration in infants Aspiration in infants usually occurs in infants with gastric reflux, because often these infants face the return of stomach contents and condensed milk. For this reason, the probability of aspiration will be higher in these babies. Symptoms of this condition include a feeling of suffocation, bruising of the baby's face, and coughing. **Symptoms of aspiration in children** When a foreign substance such as water, food and saliva enters the lung, symptoms such as cough and suffocation may not occur. This mode is called silent aspiration. If this substance blocks part of the trachea and irritates the lungs, it can cause the following symptoms. The symptoms of this condition in children are not the same as in adults. For example, difficulty breathing, very painful swallowing, and feeling stuck are common symptoms of aspiration in adults. While the most important signs of aspiration in children are: - Weakness in sucking food - Strange expression on the face - Excessive salivation - wheezing - Excessive chest infections

** Read more: Treating colic pain in babies**

** Causes and risk factors in children** Foreign body entry is relatively common in infants and children between the ages of 6 months and 3 years. Also, the inability to chew and swallow food completely is one of the main reasons for this condition. However, some factors can increase the possibility of aspiration in children. In general, risk factors for aspiration in children include: - Premature birth - Neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy - Cleft palate - Gastroesophageal reflux disease - Chronic heart disease Children with this disease can take GERD drugs and undergo surgery. Also, be under the supervision of a doctor for speech therapy. **Reason of aspiration in adults** Pulmonary aspiration occurs when food mistakenly and completely accidentally goes into the trachea and lungs instead of the esophagus. This disorder is usually caused by difficulty in eating in adults. Dysphagia is a medical term that means swallowing disorder. Also, this disease can happen when a person is under anesthesia. The contents of the stomach can reach the mouth and then enter the trachea and lungs. Anesthesia reduces a person's level of consciousness. It also reduces the ability to protect the respiratory tract. All these conditions increase the risk. For this reason, doctors ask patients to refrain from eating for several hours before surgery. To prevent this problem, anesthesiologists use measures such as protecting the airways with intubation. Some physical and health conditions of a person can increase the risk of pulmonary aspiration. ### **Complications of Aspiration** Aspiration can introduce harmful foreign substances into the lungs. For example, when a person swallows substances containing harmful bacteria into the lungs or food enters the lungs, it can lead to an infection. It is better to know that this condition is called pneumonia or pneumonia. Its symptoms are: - Cough with green or blood sputum - Fever - Chronic cough - Drowsiness - Chest pain - Fatigue - Respiratory problems such as wheezing and shortness of breath **When should you see a doctor?** Aspiration in children sometimes does not require medical treatment. However, if any of the following symptoms occur, go to the emergency room immediately: - Bruising of the skin and nails - Chest pain - wheezing - Noisy breathing. - Obstruction or suffocation in the respiratory tract Symptoms do not always appear immediately, and it is possible that the appearance of these symptoms may take hours or days. ** Ways to treat aspiration in children ** Treatment for aspiration depends on the severity of the symptoms and the substance that the child inhaled. In some cases, it is not necessary to treat this problem. By pulling out the object or a piece of food, the baby or child will get the object out of the mouth. Also, encouraging the child to cough can help expel the food or foreign body. If the symptoms of suffocation are observed in the child, call the emergency room or go to the nearest medical center. Treatment of aspiration in infants is often resolved by treatment and control of gastric reflux. If you encounter milk returning to the baby's mouth or milk jumping down the baby's throat, put him on his stomach on your hand and gently pat him on the back. Be careful to do this movement slowly. **final advice** As mentioned above, the entry of a foreign body into the lung and trachea is called aspiration. Since aspiration is very common in children, it is recommended to divide baby food into smaller pieces. Also, when faced with such a situation, avoid putting your finger in the mouth of babies and place the baby on your hand in palm position. In case of repeated aspiration in children and babies, refer to the best pediatrician in Tehran.