BACKGROUND Aspiration pneumonia is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in Parkinson's disease (PD). Clinical characteristics of PD patients in addition to specific alterations in swallowing mechanisms contribute to higher swallowing times and impairment in the effective clearance of the airway. These issues may render patients more prone to dysphagia and aspiration events. We aimed to...

BACKGROUND The down-regulation of the cough reflex in patients with aspiration pneumonia can involve both cortical facilitatory pathways for cough and medullary reflex pathways. In order to study the possible involvement of the supramedullary system in the down-regulation of cough reflex, we evaluated the urge-to-cough in patients with aspiration pneumonia. METHODS Cough reflex sensitivity an...

BACKGROUND Aspiration as a symptom of dysphagia and its apparent sequela, aspiration pneumonia, are common consequences of a stroke in the medulla. Previous reports that focused on dysphagia due to a medullary lesion were studies of single cases or a relatively small number of patients with multiple lesion loci. Moreover, the interval between the onset of stroke and the evaluation time of swall...

Swallowing is divided into four distinct phases involving five cranial nerves and 26 muscles and requires coordination of motor, neural, cognitive, and behavioral processes (Lee-Chiong, 1998; Mikita & Callahan, 2008). An abnormality in any of the nerves, muscles, or processes can result in ineffective swallowing or gastroesophageal reflux. As a result, saliva and ingested materials (e.g., food,...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether manual or electric vacuum aspiration results in greater immediate confirmation of completed abortion at less than 6 weeks of gestation. METHODS Five hundred pregnant women presenting for surgical abortion with mean gestational sac diameter of less than 12 mm or no visible sac on ultrasonography were randomized to manual or electric vacuum aspiration. Tissue exami...

BACKGROUND Cricoid pressure is considered to be the gold standard means of preventing aspiration of gastric content during Rapid Sequence Intubation (RSI). Its effectiveness has only been demonstrated in cadaveric studies and case reports. No randomised controlled trials comparing the incidence of gastric aspiration following emergent RSI, with or without cricoid pressure, have been performed. ...

Background: The objective of this study is to assess the incidence and long-term results of a rarely discussed medical problem – aspiration pneumonia resulting from the intentional ingestion of acid. Materials and methods: The medical records of 370 patients treated at one tertiary care institution for corrosive acid injury during a 12-year period were reviewed retrospectively. The study subjec...

BACKGROUND Prolonged mechanical ventilation is associated with muscle weakness, pharyngeal dysfunction, and symptomatic aspiration. The authors hypothesized that muscle strength measurements can be used to predict pharyngeal dysfunction (endoscopic evaluation-primary hypothesis), as well as symptomatic aspiration occurring during a 3-month follow-up period. METHODS Thirty long-term ventilated...

BACKGROUND Few prospective studies have evaluated the role of endobronchial needle aspiration in diagnosing central airways neoplasms. Rapid on-site evaluation has long been used in transbronchial needle aspiration of adenopathies and peripheral lesions, but its role in sampling central malignancies has not been substantiated yet. OBJECTIVES In this study we evaluated if endobronchial needle ...