Why do we say, eg, fluid went down the wrong hole, are there 2 holes?

Question

But you can't breathe and swallow at the same time!

Answer 1

Yes there are. At the back of the throat is a small flap of tissue known as the epiglottis. It covers up the opening to the trachea and the esophagus. When you breathe the flap opens up and lets air into the lungs, and does it's best to keep it out of your esophagus. A similar process takes place when you eat, only the destinations are reversed, obviously. Now sometimes when you eat too quickly your epiglottis opens up to let food into the esophagus, and opens up too quickly or too much, which of course let's small portions of food or liquids into that first opening toward the bronchial tubes and the trachea (or windpipe). If you ever got a hot dog in your lungs, you would die, plain and simple., b/c they aren't meant to hold or process solids, and certainly not liquids, if they could do that, you could just as easily breathe under water. Most of the time when this happens, it starts up a gag reflex, and the pressure of the air in your lungs is enough to eventually dislodge the foreign matter and you cough it up. In some cases though, the body can't do it on it's own, so the Heimlich maneuver is usually a very effective way to force it out.

Answer 2

Yes, otherwise we wouldn't say it.

There are two passages in your throat, one to your stomach, and one to your lungs. So that you don't drown whenever you drink, there is a little flap that covers the passage to the lungs when you swallow, sometimes you can beat it and some fluid goes into the passage that leads to your lungs.

Therefore "It went down the wrong hole"

Answer 3

Below the throat there is a small flap which closes when you swallow which prevents food or liquids entering the lungs. Sometimes the liquid can go down quicker than it closes, this will create a choking and cough fit.

Answer 4

It mean the fluid went down your trachea instead of your oesophagus. Quite often you can cough it up again so everything works out in the end. It's when your epiglottis is covering your food tube instead of the breathing one.

Answer 5

There are two pipes as previously stated. The food pipe (oesophagus) and the wind pipe (trachea). There is a flap of skin covering the wind pipe called the epiglotis which stops food and drink going into the lungs and killing us.

Answer 6

Yes. There is your esophagus (going to your stomach) and the respiratory track (going to your lungs). Which is why you can eat and breathe through your mouth. If food goes down your respiratory track, your body makes you cough to get it out and not allow it to reach your lungs.

Answer 7

Food pipe and windpipe and that's why we choke when food or fluid tries to exit the wrong one!

Answer 8

Yes, well tubes, one heads for the lungs and one for the stomach.

Answer 9

One takes food to your stomach, one air to your lungs!

Answer 10

yes there are, one where air goes that we breath in and another one that leads to our stomach