Why do Things Go Down the Wrong Way When Swallowing Sometimes (Aspiration)?

This video goes over normal swallow as well as why food and/or liquids may go down the wrong way sometimes. Known as aspiration, it has to do with timing and a muscle called the cricopharyngeus.

For more info on swallowing issues:

Normal Swallow (0:10)
Aspiration (0:38)

This video produced by Dr. Chris Chang:

#choking #gagging #aspiration #medicalanimation

[tengyal]

This whole system of two passages through same opening is so delicate and prone to malfunction. 😮 I wish we had separate opening for windpipe.

[LindaHutchings]

very interesting, thank you for helping visualization of this problem

[johndavid]

This is why my parent is telling me not to talk or eat really fast

[lyciumchld]

Sometimes my tongue "jumps", moving food and drink to the swallow position before I've begun the process. Then stuff kinda just falls down there before I'm ready and gets inhaled. It drives me nuts because it happens so frequently (at least once a week). I also have the opposite problem where swallowing can sometimes force liquid up the back sinus passage as well. Then I'm snorting for a long time trying to drain it out.

[rhaenyralikesyoutube]

But this happens even when I'm not talking while eating, it just happens and it's so annoying to choke and feel like I'm gonna die. 😣

[andresleon]

One time my mother had eaten a bit of popcorn and started choking, and we didn't know what to do. We were quite scared as she didn't even know what to do. 40 seconds of not breathing, and she finally had passed through.

[official_allstoneyt]

I think a rice is in my lungs. im so worried and very scared. i will reply to this comment after 1 week if i survived. pls pray for me

[scarletvaldez]

So we have to watch our breathing while consuming food/liquids at the same time? Since breathing doesn't trigger the epiglottis, but food does doing both at the same time can cause error? Aren't people holding their breath whenever they're drinking something? Unless they sipped the drink in a way that instead of swallowing the drink they accidentally enhaled the drink?

[shubh_hum.]

can anyhow the solid food particle also go in air pipe? @ 1:00

[mauricepowell]

I was drinking a beverage and went a full 30 seconds without being able to breath cough or swallow while everyone was trying to figure out what was going on. I thought it was over!

[wewillstandwithchrist]

I watched this without sound for half a minute and freaked out cause I thought there was a water pipe for water and a asophagus for food. But realized it was just the wind pipe and showing water go down it.

[dr.moatazallam.]

Can i use your animated videos in my eductional youtube videos?

[meilih]

i always get this when im thinking of something. like a while ago i drink soya and it went to wrong pipe. i cough and cough i feel sick again like it feels hard to breath. aside from headache from spondylosis. 😓

[andreabarcus]

I got some candy stuck in my throat and I swallow it hitting me I was sleep I was swollen candy it still there I ate some bread and that didn't work and ate some food and that didn't work and drink some water and that didn't work I and drink pop and that didn't work tell me what to do

[sparklingfashion]

This happened to me as I was eating food laying down.

[malikpajotte]

Happened to me I was drinking then I laughed and boom

[nauticalnovice]

I literally sniffed a piece of sage THROUGH my nose!!!! Wtf. I'm worried idk where it is!! I feel it in my body but idk where it is!! 😢

[travixmusic]

I accidentally shallowed an earphone"s earbud... When it happened I drank so much water then it felt like it went in my stomach then the next day when I shitted I didn't saw anything but for some time it feels like that earbud is stuck in my throat or in my epiglottis... What can I do?

[Vidz.]

This happened to me way to many time and lungs are starting to hurt

[mr.potato_cool]

So today I was playing a game with friends we have to have water in our mouth and try not to laugh I was about to laugh but I did then spat all my water out the 2nd one I was gonna swallow it but then this happened then I started choking I told them to help me but I could barley talk and they didn't listen almost leaving me to die I asked them why they didn't help then they said "what and I suppose to do say spit it out?" Which was reasonable then it happened again but this time it got way worse but something that I noticed was that when I spit out out it has weird white stuff it may be tiny bits of saliva but after I spit I noticed I was bleeding then another one happened it was dum for me to play it again but thank the Lord I survived cause I could barley breath I was in danger slot today I bent my toes then fell down and on the floor and almost started bleeding everywhere because of Alot of tiny bits of sharp stuff from pinecones I was playing basketball crushed my finger and yeah almost died 3 times I guess one of my superpowers is God giving me so much miricales are just luck ig