Aspiration pneumonia is a life-threatening complication resulting from the inhalation of airway contaminants and pathogen overgrowth. Multiple substances are directly toxic to the lungs or can stimulate an inflammatory response when aspirated – gastric acid from vomiting is the most common aspirated substance. 

Aspiration pneumonia is common among seniors, people with dysphagia, and people with chronic breathing disorders. It can also occur during or following surgery, or subsequent to a sudden trauma. Mortality rates vary greatly and rise with patient age and comorbidities, as well as the total volume of aspirated fluids. Among those with emphysema, it may be as high as 20%. Reducing the risk of aspiration pneumonia can save lives, reduce healthcare expenditures, and prevent health system crowding.

In the popular Showtime series “The Affair,” a lead character is haunted by the dry drowning death of her young son. Interest in so-called dry drowning has accelerated in recent years, thanks in part to a handful of high-profile cases and fictionalized accounts. While the phenomenon of dry drowning is real, the term is a colloquialism--not a medical diagnosis.

Aspiration pneumonia has a mortality rate of 5% to15%, and that rises to as much as 22.7% in populations with emphysema. The secretions patients aspirate are often contaminated with pathogens from the oral cavity, increasing the rate of morbidity and necessitating additional interventions, and potentially long hospital stays. Prompt intervention is the key to preventing serious complications associated with aspiration pneumonia. Portable emergency suction can help prevent aspiration pneumonia, as well as its attendant complications.

As an emergency provider, you may not initially be in the mindset of preventing long-term complications with your patient. You stabilize and treat your patient’s condition or injury, and then you focus on how to manage the patient moving forward. This is the nature of prehospital and emergency medicine—assess, stabilize, and “package” the patient for further care. But let’s take it a step further. Your initial actions, especially when it comes to protecting your patient’s airway, make a big difference in your patient’s future outcomes.