If you are drinking something and it goes down the "wrong pipe" what happens to that liquid?

Question

I'm not sure if the water or liquid goes to your lungs or not, if so how does it get back out of the lungs?

Answer 1

Humans have a great mechanism in which they cough in response to fluid trickling down into the trachea. The cough, if stong enough, shoves that liquid back up and out. This prevents all foreign material from entering the lungs.
People, especially elderly people have what is called silent aspiraton. This occurs when they suck something down the wrong hole and are oblivious to it. They do not have a cough reflex, so therefore they end up with these liquids and food in their lungs and this is called aspiration. We call this silent aspiraton and it usually leads to pneumonia which leads to death if npt treated/
This leads to the decision many families have to make on whether or not to put a tube in the stomach of grandma or grandpa for nutrition.

Answer 2

Nothing more than your average small incident where something "goes down the wrong way", all the hacking and koff- koffing that you do is going to eject most of it, because of the defence mechanisms in place for that purpose. Of course, if anything happens where a large amount of stuff is forced down there, you're probably going to be a dead duck. In some instances, it has happened that a person's throat reflexes are knocked out of action - a good example is where a person is falling down drunk, collapses in a stupor, throws up a lot of stomach content (probably mostly the alcohol) which is then aspirated into the lungs as the virtually unconscious person takes an involuntary in-breath. He literally "drowns in his own vomit" But, once again, in your just ordinary everyday, non-serious incident where something gets in the wrong hole, what actually makes it into the lung is going to be a very small amount and it is quickly absorbed. Best advice... Chew well before swallowing, especially anything like meat. And make a point of never getting passed out drunk. lol.

Answer 3

Usually only a little bit of water or liquid would have gone down anyway and you cant stop coughing when that happens. But then after a while you notice the rest comes up with phlem-type stuff. You're lungs take in a lot of moisture all day anyway, especially in the shower, on humid/ misty days

Answer 4

Down The Wrong Pipe

Answer 5

You cough it up. Haven't you ever noticed when you're drinking something and it goes down the wrong way that you cough repeatedly for a few minutes. Your lungs don't want that stuff in there and they'll work to get it out!

Answer 6

it goes down yyour trachia intead of your esofogus(sorry about spelling) there is usually a valve that closes off the trachia called the epiglotis but since you obivisvly breathed in while you were eating(the trachia goes to the lungs) the liquid whent down that way and you coug it back up. Your not supposed to breath water!!

Answer 7

You normally cough it up before it goes into the lungs. If not, then it would be in the lungs, and that would be bad.

Answer 8

It comes back up, when you cough. Believe me, there is no way you can pour liquid down that pipe and not start coughing.

Answer 9

Small amounts may be coughed up or absorbed by the tissues in your body. Large amounts could pool and possibly cause infections.

Answer 10

unfortunately for me it goes down the wrong hole and doesn't come out! i cough hard but too late. This has been an on going problem for two years now or more....i must have almost a gallon if i had to add up all the water, juice, that's gone down the wrong hole!!!