How To Treat Aspiration Pneumonia

Surgery

Individuals affected by chronic and repeated aspiration pneumonia infections may need to undergo surgery to treat the underlying cause. Those who have trouble swallowing are the most susceptible to repeated aspiration of food and aspiration pneumonia infections that result from it. Surgical procedures to treat underlying causes of frequent aspiration may include a laryngeal suspension, laryngectomy, tracheostomy, total cricoid resection, partial cricoid resection, vocal fold medialization, supraglottic closure, glottic closure, and tracheoesophageal diversion. Other adjunctive surgical procedures that may be needed in individuals who experience frequent aspiration include cricopharyngeal myotomy, gastrostomy, jejunostomy, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, fundoplication, gland excision, parotid duct ligation, and bilateral submandibular ligation. These surgical procedures are only necessary when chronic aspiration pneumonia infections are unable to be managed with other methods. In cases where too much debris is in the lungs of an aspiration pneumonia patient, surgery may be required to remove it manually if suction techniques are unsuccessful.