Food impaction occurs when often meat or fish bone gets stuck in your esophagus. It can happen when your esophagus is not functioning normally. It can also occur when you do not have teeth and cannot chew your food correctly.
Food bolus impaction
It is an acute condition of it. The food bolus impaction resolves without intervention. Either the food moves forward into the stomach or regurgitation the ingested material. When you feel substantial chest discomfort, you need to see your doctor.
Primarily, you face chest squeezing, which is difficult to discriminate from a heart attack. It is essential to differentiate between impaction and choking. If you face it, you do not suffer from breathing difficulty. You can laugh and cough easily compared to the person suffering from choking.
Symptoms of food impaction
Food getting caught in the esophagus is an emergency condition. When the food lodged into the esophagus, the symptoms are;
- The feeling of like something stuck in the throat
- Choking after eating
- Difficulty in breathing
- Vomiting after eating
It is a bad condition. There are the following symptoms are associated with this disorder;
- Noisy breathing or difficulty in breathing
- Lightheadedness or fainting
- Inability of talk
- Loss of consciousness
- Turning bluish or pale
Food impaction and dysphagia
Dysphagia is a condition that causes difficulty in swallowing. It is an acute form of dysphagia. The causes of dysphagia are;
1. Allergies:
- It is uncommon. Allergies that may cause problems with swallowing
2. Spasm diffusion:
- Spasms in the esophagus can lead to swallowing problems
3. Foreign body:
- Causes temporary swelling in the throat
4. Esophageal disorders:
- Esophageal structural disorder
5. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD):
- Stomach acid moves back to the esophagus, causing inflammation or narrowing
6. Opioid-induced esophageal dysfunction:
- Pain medications that contain opioids that affect the muscles of the esophagus
7. Tumors:
- Rare
Symptoms of dysphagia food impaction
- Development of mucus in the esophagus
- Chest pain
- Throat tightness
- Weight loss
Diagnosis of food impaction
The diagnosis of It can be performed as follows;
1. X-ray:
- An x-ray is performed to locate or visualize the food material stuck in the esophagus.
2. Endoscopy:
- In this diagnosis, a thin tube is inserted into your mouth and down into the esophagus to get an image of food stuck in the esophagus.
Treatment of food impaction
Some drugs help to relax the muscles of the esophagus. If the muscles are relaxed enough, the food can move down the esophagus and into the stomach.
1. Medicines:
- Butylscopolamine, glucagon, calcium channel blockers, benzodiazepines, and nitrates treat food impaction. It is not a reliable solution for a patient having a narrowed esophagus.
2. Endoscopy:
- If medications cannot remove the administered material, it can be removed by this procedure. In this procedure, the food is pushed down into the stomach or pulled out through the mouth. It depends on whether the food is stuck in a further down or further up direction.
Aftereffects of food impaction treatment
Visit your doctor if you have the following problems;
- Unable to swallow your saliva
- Noisy breathing
- Trouble taking breath
- Vomiting or blood in vomiting
- Pain in the chest or abdomen
Prevention of Food impaction
1.Sit up while eating food:
- Raise your head while eating food, especially when in bed
2. Make sure your denture is of the best fit:
- Poorly fitted dentures can affect chewing
3. Proper chewing of food:
- Proper chewing will help in better swallowing
4. Drinking water with a meal:
- Water will help in moving food down into the stomach
5. Visit your doctor:
- In case of any associated symptoms or eating problems. Consult your doctor
References
https://www.drugs.com/cg/food-impaction.html#:~:text=What%20is%20food%20impaction%3F,not%20chew%20your%20food%20completely.
https://www.verywellhealth.com/food-impaction-5221829
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3096106/
