Modified Mondays: THAT is DEFINITELY what I think it is!
As promised, here is an example of a foreign object that was just a bit easier to figure out than our fella from a few weeks ago (link is below if you missed that one). Like our prior example, this patient presented clinically with sudden onset of coughing post all PO and complained of difficulty especially with solid food and pills, as well as general complaints of feeling a “lump”.
Thankfully, this facility SLP did not try to at first rely on clinical assessment to change the diet or try out strategies or a plan of care. She directly recommended an instrumental assessment, we were able to be there the next day, and this is what we saw. The patient had swallowed their upper partial dentures, and they were lodged pretty tightly.
Obviously, this patient was immediately sent out to the ER for removal (successfully!) and shortly after was doing well, without any dysphagia. Again, this case stresses that we just cannot make assumptions-and we just don’t have x-ray (or endoscopic) vision.