Should I Be Concerned About Food Stuck In Throat For A While?

Posted on Wed, 19 Mar 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 19 Mar 2014 Answered on

Tue, 8 Apr 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : Was eating a chip and suddenly chocked on it. I coughed really hard and think I got it up, but I'm not sure as there is still a lump in my throat. How would I know if I asphyxiated some of the chip?

Answered by Dr. Vidya KR (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: Throat examination and chest auscultation . Detailed Answer: Hi, I went through your query and understood your concerns. Coughing is a natural reflex mechanism to any foreign substance in the airway tract. In a normal healthy individual, aspiration is extremely rare; only in people with reduced consciousness aspirations are known to occur. Since you have no more cough and breathing distress, I would safely assume all the contents that entered the airway is coughed out. There won't be any remaining part of chip in airway tract. Now the sensation in throat could be due to trauma caused while coughing and chip. I would start you on warm salt water gargles 4 times a day and some throat lozenges. If it persists to stay, you can contact a doctor who can examine your throat and chest. Hope this information helps you. Feel free to ask further related query. Wish you a good health. Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad