How come when food goes in the lungs and we choke, the food doesn’t eventually rot in the lungs? How do we get it out or does it decompose
In: Biology
When food accidentally enters the trachea (the “wrong pipe”), the body’s cough reflex acts to expel it quickly. Additionally, the mucociliary escalator, a mechanism in the respiratory tract, moves mucus and trapped particles out of the lungs. The immune system also plays a role by identifying and eliminating any remaining particles or pathogens, thereby preventing lung infections without the need for medical intervention.
That’s exactly what causes a lot of cases of pneumonia, especially in immunocompromised people.
The trachea (windpipe) is smaller than the esophagus (food tube), so that’s one natural restriction to just how much food can get in there. It’s also sticky all the way down to catch stuff (like a filter).
But when food does get in there, it”s up to the immune system to fight any potential infection just like anywhere else.
The first reason is the coughing gets it out. The second reason the food leaves is your body has lots of functions to get foreign debris out of the lungs.
The choking is from the wind pipe being clogged. It’s not hard to pop something out of a clogged pipe by coughing. That gets most of it out.
Secondarily, your lungs had cilia that move foreign debris up and out of the lungs. The body will form mucus to trap it, making it easier to move and cough up.
Also, if you choked, then coughed up the big piece, your body usually makes a couple more big coughs for good measure.
it will. usually, the food doesn’t go deep enough to cause an issue and is usually being choked out the windpipe relatively quickly to cause a huge problem.
if it somehow does get into your lungs, you are at a serious risk of an infection and should seek medical help immediately. the doctors will get the food out of your lungs.
Oh you can. Swallowing is often compromised in older folks (the population I work with) and it results in aspiration pneumonia. Patients who are fed with a tube inserted through the abdomen into the stomach are at risk, especially if you don’t keep them positioned with the head of the bed elevated 30-45 degrees. The feeding can wash up the esophagus and be aspirated into the lungs. This is especially bad as the feeding has fat in it. Lipid aspiration is bad. It impairs the way the tissues work and takes a while to resolve. If someone inhales a chunk of food, they can do a bronchoscopy and try to fish it out, depending on where it is. Inhaled food tends to end up in the right mainstem bronchus (the part where the large tube splits to go to each lung) because of the shape of the anatomy. Anything liquid gets inhaled down further along with bacteria from the oral cavity and will be bacteria food and cause infection. We give people with impaired swallow food and beverages with an altered texture (i.e. thickened liquids) to help them swallow better to decrease the chance of aspiration. Speech therapists teach techniques to help strengthen the muscles and coordinate their swallow. It’s a big deal. Aspiration pneumonia kills many elderly folks.
Emt (emergency medical technician) here.
What you are describing sounds like “aspiration pneumonia”.
It may not happen to you, but it definitely happens! Aspiration pneumonia uncommon in patients who are younger and overall in a healthier conditions.
However, older patients can be at risk, because they can have a weak cough or have trouble swallowing.
Other major groups of patients at risk would be patients who are already sick, or have a history of major illnesses can also be at risk (they are “immunocompromised”), including patients who have used medications called steroids as a treatment for another illness.
For more info, you can look up “aspiration pneumonia”.
My dad has trouble swallowing, and he’s been in the hospital twice now for aspirating food and getting pneumonia.
I’ve worked in healthcare my whole adult life. People do die from such instances.
When you accidentally inhale your food, a healthy person has a good chance of being able to cough it out. An elderly person, immunocompromised person, or people with certain disabilities may not be able to cough it out properly.
The food/fluid then stays there and causes aspiration pneumonia.
Some people also have a condition called dysphagia. There’s a tiny flap of skin that is meant to cover the windpipe when you’re swallowing food/fluid and open when breathing. This doesn’t work properly for people with dysphagia, and they end up with food/fluid going ‘down the wrong hole’. People with this condition are at great risk of aspiration pneumonia.
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You have an immune system that kills bacteria, fungus, and viruses (collectively called pathogens). If your immune system is working well it will kill these pathogens before they do much of any damage to you.
If your immune system isn’t working correctly, or the pathogens are good at beating your immune system, then you get sick and possibly die.
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