Last Updated on January 3, 2025 by Analgesia team
Aspiration In Medical Term
Aspiration has multiple medical meanings, including the accidental inhalation of food or liquid into the lungs and a medical procedure to withdraw substances from the body:
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Accidental inhalation
This occurs when food, liquid, or other material accidentally enters the airway and lungs by accident, usually when swallowing. This can happen to healthy people and can lead to serious health issues like pneumonia and chronic lung scarring. Symptoms may not appear immediately but can include fever, increased mucus production, chronic coughing, coughing up blood, or foul-smelling mucus.
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Medical procedure
A medical procedure that uses a needle to withdraw fluid, tissue, or other substances from the body. For example, a healthcare provider may perform a joint aspiration to remove fluid around a joint to relieve pain and improve movement. Aspiration can also be used for diagnosis, such as to identify cancer cells in a tumor or to extract amniotic fluid for screening.