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Content is anchored to trusted sources where available, but Compass has not yet been clinically reviewed. It provides general information rather than medical advice.

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Breathing and ventilation

Aspiration pneumonia

A chest infection that follows food, drink or saliva going into the lungs instead of the stomach.

What it means

When swallowing weakens, small amounts can pass the wrong way into the airway. If the cough is too weak to clear them, they can settle and become infected. It is the reason swallowing and coughing are watched together rather than separately.

Why you might hear it

  • A speech pathologist may mention it when explaining a swallowing assessment.
  • It may be named as the reason a chest infection happened.

People who may help

Where Compass goes into this

About this explanation

These are plain explanations of words you may come across, not advice about your own situation. Where a word matters to a decision, the question pages go into it properly, and your own team is the place to take it.