Choking - airway blockage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Choking - airway blockage - Essay Example One evening, while he was eating his evening snack of milk and cookies, he started coughing with difficulties. His strenuous cough raised the alarm to the caregiver who immediately tried to perform Heimlich maneuver in order to restore the condition, but the aged man did not respond. The man later died after some minutes. Despite the effort of the caregiver, it is evident that man died due to lack of supervision from the caregiver while he was eating (Cuomo, 2012). Dysphagia and aspiration problems increase with age and therefore old people are the most at risk of choking (Bronwyn, 2002). Some of the risk factors associated with aspiration include muscles weakness while chewing and swallowing, seizure disorder, eating too fast, lack of proper eating position, and absent or decreased gag reflex. However, there are precautions that can be followed to reduce the risk of choking or aspiration. Some of them include avoiding excessive sedation, feeding on small amounts of food, allowing rest period before meals, and use of thickened liquids such as nectars. Choking can also be prevented through feeding while upright and putting food on unaffected strong side for stroke