If a patient has difficulty swallowing, the best position for ...

[corkyiscool3328]

If a patient has difficulty swallowing, the best position for meals is
 
  a. lying flat.
  b. sitting upright.
  c. lying on one side.
  d. leaning backward slightly.

Question 2

The three stages of swallowing are the _____ phases.
 
  a. early, middle, and late
  b. oral, laryngeal, and epiglottal
  c. bolus, pharyngeal, and posterior
  d. oral, pharyngeal, and esophageal

[bd5255]

Answer to Question 1

B
The safest eating position for someone who has trouble swallowing is sitting upright. This allows gravity to help food pass along the esophagus. Leaning back slightly would make it easier for food to enter the airway. It is difficult to swallow when lying flat, even for patients without dys-phagia; for patients with dysphagia this position would be very likely to cause aspiration. Lying on one side is less dangerous than lying flat, but is still dangerous for patients with dysphagia.

Answer to Question 2

D
The three stages of swallowing are the oral, pharyngeal, and esophageal phases, referring to where each stage occurs. The larynx and epiglottis are not involved in swallowing.