Answer Happy

The client is diagnosed with pnuemonia and is prescribed intravenous antibiotics for treatment. The client's swallow study determined that she should be on honey thick liquids and pureed foods. The spouse comes to visit the client and notices the "Swallow Precautions - thickened liquids" sign and asks the nurse what it means. The nurse explains since the client does not have adequate swallowing ability so thin liquids may go into the trachea and then the lungs instead of the stomach and cause pneumonia. Suddenly, the spouse gets a shocked look on his face and says, "Oh, no! I did that. I gave her pneumonia?"