When people say "swallowed down the wrong pipe" what does it really mean?

Question

what really happens that makes u choke

Answer 1

You have 2 "pipes" in the back of your throat. One is your trachea the other is your esophagus. The trachea leads to your lungs and your esophagus leads to your stomach. When you swallow food, a flap closes the entrance to your trachea so that food doesn't go down there. But, sometimes we take in a breath while we are swallowing (usually when we are trying to talk when we have food in our mouths--how many times has your mother told you not to talk with food in your mouth?? LOL) and the food "goes down the wrong pipe" and you choke until the piece of food comes back out of your trachea.

Answer 2

OK no - it doesn't go into your lungs - I mean in infirmed or disabled people it can and then it causes aspiration pneumonia... but when most people say that stupid expression what they mean is the fluid did travel to the larynx where the esophagus and trachea sort of sit net to each other... the trachea sits in front of the esophagus and irritated it causing laryngeal spasms and that produces that chocking sensation and the frequent sensation of something being stuck in your throat for a while even when there is nothing in there... Can stuff go into the trachea , sure and can you cough it up? Yes... But most of the time when people say that they certainly don't mean they actually have a bunch of diet Pepsi or a ham sandwich sitting int their lungs... That would make them quite ill...

Answer 3

The lump you may sense on the front of your throat is generally called the 'Adams Apple'. it particularly is the larynx containing your vocal chords. So the windpipe (trachea) is on the front of your neck. right now in the back of it particularly is the gullet (oesophagus) - the nutrition tube. to end stuff dropping down the windpipe into your lungs there's a splash flap called the EPIGLOTTIS. every time you swallow, this flap quickly closes over the windpipe and seals it. every time nutrition or drink gets everywhere close to the epiglottis whilst it particularly is open, an computerized REFLEX action reasons you to cough. that's an 'explosion' of air from the lungs to blow stuff faraway from the windpipe. that's the 2nd we cough and splutter after which say 'nutrition went down the incorrect way'. It hasn't. This reflex isn't foolproof and now and returned issues do flow incorrect - besides the shown fact that it particularly is fairly uncommon (how many human beings do you recognize that this has exceeded off to?)

Answer 4

It means a piece of food went into the windpipe and this causes an automatic choking reaction which forces the food back out again to prevent it travelling down to the lungs.

Answer 5

Instead of the food or liquid going into the food tube or esophagus, it goes into the breathing tube or the trachea, which makes you choke..

Answer 6

instead of food/drinks going down ur throat N goes down ur lungs.

Answer 7

it means instead of food or drink going down your esophagus to your stomach, it went toward your lungs instead.

Answer 8

it means you choked