1. Think of a recent therapy session or event.
My patient sounded very chesty and gurgily on a Saturday. She had recently been put on 3 yogurts a day. On a swallow examination the patient was able to manage the yogurt with one throat clear post swallow. She appeared to have a weakened swallow and slightly delayed swallow trigger. On water the patient coughed clearly post swallow.
2. Describe the session/experience
I put made the patient nil by mouth and assumed the patient may have had an aspiration pneumonia. I was surprised that this would have happened so quickly and that the patient would sound so gurgily/ chesty as their only inralke was 3 yogurts a day. The patient had been on a puree meal at her last hospital, an NG-tube was put in place over the weekend due to the patient inhaling some soup. The patient was transferred to us with a NG tube. The doctor found that the patient’s NG-tube had been dislodged. This may have meant that the patients aspiration was due to her tube feeding.
3. What did this session make you feel?
I felt that I may have missed some signs of aspiration. As the patient had clearly aspirated on water and shown clear indicate=ors ithought that it was odd that they had not shown any indicators when eating yogurt and had aspirated. I had acted cautiously by putting the patient on 3 yogurts a day rather than backl on a puree meal.
4. What would you want to change, and why?
I would have asked the doctor whether they thought the patient had developed aspiration pneumonia due to their oral intake much sooner.
5. What has this session has taught you?
- Ask/ find out the reason for chest infections since it may not be related to oral intake.
6. What do you need to learn or find out before the next event?
- Other causes of pneumonia
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