Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Quantitative aspiration during sleep in normal subjects

K Gleeson1, D F Eggli, S L Maxwell

  • 1Department of Medicine, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey 17033, USA.

Chest
|May 1, 1997
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Mimicking muscle fiber structure and function through electromechanical actuation of electrospun silk fiber bundles.

Journal of materials chemistry. B·2020
Same author

Personal factors associated with the attitudes of nurses towards patients with obesity: a literature review.

Clinical obesity·2018
Same author

All bereaved parents are entitled to good care after stillbirth: a mixed-methods multicentre study (INSIGHT).

BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology·2017
Same author

Environmental science. Being smart about SMART environmental targets.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2015
Same author

Mixed methods in health psychology: theoretical and practical considerations of the third paradigm.

Journal of health psychology·2010
Same author

'You're whatever the patient needs at the time': the impact on health and social care professionals of supporting people with epidermolysis bullosa.

Chronic illness·2010
Same journal

Wearable-derived activity and physiological changes following pleural intervention in malignant pleural effusion.

Chest·2026
Same journal

The effect of a two-day stay at high altitude (2500 m) on right ventricular afterload and oxygen delivery in patients with pulmonary vascular disease A randomized controlled crossover trial.

Chest·2026
Same journal

A Comparative Study of Radiation Exposure in Conventional and Robotic Bronchoscopy.

Chest·2026
Same journal

Independent Prognostic Contributions of Anti-Ro52 and Anti-MDA5 in Autoimmune-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease.

Chest·2026
Same journal

Lung aeration and gas exchange in SGA or AGA infants with moderate-severe BPD: secondary analysis of the PATH-BPD study.

Chest·2026
Same journal

Lung Cancer Incidence and Mortality after Negative Low-Dose CT Screening Results.

Chest·2026
See all related articles

Occult aspiration of nasopharyngeal secretions during sleep is common in healthy men, occurring variably even within the same individual. The small quantities aspirated may still harbor significant bacterial loads.

Area of Science:

  • Pulmonary Medicine
  • Sleep Science
  • Gastroenterology

Background:

  • Occult aspiration during sleep is a potential risk factor for pulmonary infections.
  • Understanding the prevalence and quantity of aspiration in healthy individuals is crucial for risk assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify occult aspiration of nasopharyngeal secretions during sleep in healthy adults.
  • To determine the within-subject variability of aspiration events.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective, duplicate full-night polysomnographic sleep studies were conducted.
  • A radioactive tracer (99mTc) was infused into the nasopharynx during sleep.
  • Lung scans were performed post-sleep to detect tracer presence in the pulmonary parenchyma.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Aspiration was detected in 50% of subjects, with variability observed between study nights.
  • No significant differences in sleep parameters were found between aspirating and non-aspirating individuals.
  • The quantity of aspirated material was estimated to be between 0.01 and 0.2 mL.

Conclusions:

  • Occult aspiration during sleep is a common occurrence in healthy young men.
  • Aspiration events are variable within individuals and not linked to sleep quality.
  • The aspirated volume is sufficient to potentially transfer clinically significant amounts of bacteria.