How To Diagnose And Treat Aspiration Pneumonia

Surgery

Individuals affected by chronic and repeated aspiration pneumonia infections may need surgery to treat the underlying cause. Those who have trouble swallowing are the most susceptible to repeated aspiration of food and the pneumonia infections that result. Surgical procedures to treat underlying causes of frequent aspiration include a laryngeal suspension, laryngectomy, and tracheostomy. Other options are total cricoid resection, partial cricoid resection, vocal fold medialization, glottic closure, and tracheoesophageal diversion.

Patients may also require surgeries such as a gastrostomy, jejunostomy, fundoplication, gland excision, or parotid duct ligation. These surgical procedures are only necessary when chronic aspiration pneumonia infections cannot be managed with other methods. In cases where too much debris is in the patient's lungs, surgery may be required to remove it if suction techniques are unsuccessful.

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