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Treatment for Aspiration (Child)

Aspiration is when something enters the airway or lungs by accident. It may be food, liquid, or some other material. This can cause serious health problems, such as pneumonia. Aspiration can happen when a person has trouble swallowing normally. This is known as dysphagia. It can also happen if a child has gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This is when the contents of the stomach come back up into the throat.

Signs and Symptoms of Aspiration

Aspiration can cause signs and symptoms in a baby such as:

  • Weak sucking
  • Choking or coughing while feeding
  • Other signs of feeding trouble, like a red face, watery eyes, or facial grimaces
  • Stopping breathing while feeding
  • Faster breathing while feeding
  • Voice or breathing that sounds wet after feeding
  • Slight fever after feedings
  • Wheezing and other breathing problems
  • Repeated lung or airway infections 

Aspiration can cause signs and symptoms in an older child such as:

  • Choking or coughing while eating
  • Voice that sounds wet after eating
  • Slight fever after meals
  • Complaints of food feeling stuck or coming back up
  • Wheezing and other breathing problems
  • Repeated lung or airway infections 

Types of treatment

Treatment for aspiration may vary depending on the cause and severity. Treatments for your child may begin with finding the cause of the aspiration.  To do this an ENT (ear/nose/throat doctor) may need to look at your child’s airway, a pulmonologist (lung doctor) may need to look at your child’s lungs or a GI (doctor for the parts of the body that digest food).  Then treatment may include:

  • Making changes in position and posture during meals
  • Changing the thickness of liquids
  • Changing the types of foods in your child’s diet
  • Doing exercises to help with swallowing (for an older child)
  • Medicines or Botox injection for children who make excess saliva
  • Surgery to reduce reflux
  • Surgery to correct a problem such as a cleft palate

If your child still has a high risk for aspiration even after treatment, he or she may need a special tube to help with eating for a while. The feeding tube will help your child get proper nutrition until his or her risk for aspiration improves. Your child will not eat or drink as normal until the tube is removed. A thin tube may be put through the nose down into the stomach. This is called a nasogastric tube. This may be used for a short time while other treatment is considered, or a tube may be put directly into your child’s stomach during a surgery. This is called a gastrostomy tube.

In some children, aspiration lessens over time. In other cases, a child may need more treatment to address the cause. Your child’s health care providers will carefully watch your child so that he or she can return to normal eating as soon as possible.

Talk with your child’s health care provider if your child has a tracheostomy tube. You may need to suction food or liquid from the tube.

Possible complications of aspiration

A major complication of aspiration is harm to the lungs. When food, drink, or stomach contents make their way into your child’s lungs, it can damage the tissues there. The damage can sometimes be severe and cause bronchiectasis (permanent lung damage).  Aspiration also increases the risk for pneumonia. This is an infection of the lungs that causes fluid to build up in the lungs. Pneumonia needs to be treated with antibiotics. In some cases, it may even cause death.

Other possible complications from aspiration include:

  • Dehydration
  • Malnutrition
  • Weight loss
  • Increased risk for other illness 

When to call your health care provider

Call your health care provider if your child has any signs or symptoms of aspiration. It needs to be treated as soon as possible.

 

Treatment for Aspiration (Child)

Aspiration is when something enters the airway or lungs by accident. It may be food, liquid, or some other material. This can cause serious health problems, such as pneumonia. Aspiration can happen when a person has trouble swallowing normally. This is known as dysphagia. It can also happen if a child has gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This is when the contents of the stomach come back up into the throat.

Signs and Symptoms of Aspiration

Aspiration can cause signs and symptoms in a baby such as:

  • Weak sucking
  • Choking or coughing while feeding
  • Other signs of feeding trouble, like a red face, watery eyes, or facial grimaces
  • Stopping breathing while feeding
  • Faster breathing while feeding
  • Voice or breathing that sounds wet after feeding
  • Slight fever after feedings
  • Wheezing and other breathing problems
  • Repeated lung or airway infections 

Aspiration can cause signs and symptoms in an older child such as:

  • Choking or coughing while eating
  • Voice that sounds wet after eating
  • Slight fever after meals
  • Complaints of food feeling stuck or coming back up
  • Wheezing and other breathing problems
  • Repeated lung or airway infections 

Types of treatment

Treatment for aspiration may vary depending on the cause and severity. Treatments for your child may begin with finding the cause of the aspiration.  To do this an ENT (ear/nose/throat doctor) may need to look at your child’s airway, a pulmonologist (lung doctor) may need to look at your child’s lungs or a GI (doctor for the parts of the body that digest food).  Then treatment may include:

  • Making changes in position and posture during meals
  • Changing the thickness of liquids
  • Changing the types of foods in your child’s diet
  • Doing exercises to help with swallowing (for an older child)
  • Medicines or Botox injection for children who make excess saliva
  • Surgery to reduce reflux
  • Surgery to correct a problem such as a cleft palate

If your child still has a high risk for aspiration even after treatment, he or she may need a special tube to help with eating for a while. The feeding tube will help your child get proper nutrition until his or her risk for aspiration improves. Your child will not eat or drink as normal until the tube is removed. A thin tube may be put through the nose down into the stomach. This is called a nasogastric tube. This may be used for a short time while other treatment is considered, or a tube may be put directly into your child’s stomach during a surgery. This is called a gastrostomy tube.

In some children, aspiration lessens over time. In other cases, a child may need more treatment to address the cause. Your child’s health care providers will carefully watch your child so that he or she can return to normal eating as soon as possible.

Talk with your child’s health care provider if your child has a tracheostomy tube. You may need to suction food or liquid from the tube.

Possible complications of aspiration

A major complication of aspiration is harm to the lungs. When food, drink, or stomach contents make their way into your child’s lungs, it can damage the tissues there. The damage can sometimes be severe and cause bronchiectasis (permanent lung damage).  Aspiration also increases the risk for pneumonia. This is an infection of the lungs that causes fluid to build up in the lungs. Pneumonia needs to be treated with antibiotics. In some cases, it may even cause death.

Other possible complications from aspiration include:

  • Dehydration
  • Malnutrition
  • Weight loss
  • Increased risk for other illness 

When to call your health care provider

Call your health care provider if your child has any signs or symptoms of aspiration. It needs to be treated as soon as possible.

 

Treatment for Aspiration (Child)

Aspiration is when something enters the airway or lungs by accident. It may be food, liquid, or some other material. This can cause serious health problems, such as pneumonia. Aspiration can happen when a person has trouble swallowing normally. This is known as dysphagia. It can also happen if a child has gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This is when the contents of the stomach come back up into the throat.

Signs and Symptoms of Aspiration

Aspiration can cause signs and symptoms in a baby such as:

  • Weak sucking
  • Choking or coughing while feeding
  • Other signs of feeding trouble, like a red face, watery eyes, or facial grimaces
  • Stopping breathing while feeding
  • Faster breathing while feeding
  • Voice or breathing that sounds wet after feeding
  • Slight fever after feedings
  • Wheezing and other breathing problems
  • Repeated lung or airway infections 

Aspiration can cause signs and symptoms in an older child such as:

  • Choking or coughing while eating
  • Voice that sounds wet after eating
  • Slight fever after meals
  • Complaints of food feeling stuck or coming back up
  • Wheezing and other breathing problems
  • Repeated lung or airway infections 

Types of treatment

Treatment for aspiration may vary depending on the cause and severity. Treatments for your child may begin with finding the cause of the aspiration.  To do this an ENT (ear/nose/throat doctor) may need to look at your child’s airway, a pulmonologist (lung doctor) may need to look at your child’s lungs or a GI (doctor for the parts of the body that digest food).  Then treatment may include:

  • Making changes in position and posture during meals
  • Changing the thickness of liquids
  • Changing the types of foods in your child’s diet
  • Doing exercises to help with swallowing (for an older child)
  • Medicines or Botox injection for children who make excess saliva
  • Surgery to reduce reflux
  • Surgery to correct a problem such as a cleft palate

If your child still has a high risk for aspiration even after treatment, he or she may need a special tube to help with eating for a while. The feeding tube will help your child get proper nutrition until his or her risk for aspiration improves. Your child will not eat or drink as normal until the tube is removed. A thin tube may be put through the nose down into the stomach. This is called a nasogastric tube. This may be used for a short time while other treatment is considered, or a tube may be put directly into your child’s stomach during a surgery. This is called a gastrostomy tube.

In some children, aspiration lessens over time. In other cases, a child may need more treatment to address the cause. Your child’s health care providers will carefully watch your child so that he or she can return to normal eating as soon as possible.

Talk with your child’s health care provider if your child has a tracheostomy tube. You may need to suction food or liquid from the tube.

Possible complications of aspiration

A major complication of aspiration is harm to the lungs. When food, drink, or stomach contents make their way into your child’s lungs, it can damage the tissues there. The damage can sometimes be severe and cause bronchiectasis (permanent lung damage).  Aspiration also increases the risk for pneumonia. This is an infection of the lungs that causes fluid to build up in the lungs. Pneumonia needs to be treated with antibiotics. In some cases, it may even cause death.

Other possible complications from aspiration include:

  • Dehydration
  • Malnutrition
  • Weight loss
  • Increased risk for other illness 

When to call your health care provider

Call your health care provider if your child has any signs or symptoms of aspiration. It needs to be treated as soon as possible.