Is barium swallow test safe for a 87 year old male. hospital wants to do it otherwise they will not take him off the feeding tube. patient can swallow ice already. looks like they want to overdo things?

The test uses a material that shows up in x-rays. It verifies the quality of swallowing movement and whether or not any of the test material enters the airway. If this happens in the test sessions it would mean his feeds could end up in his lungs and trigger a fatal pneumonia. To me it sound like they are being cautious where they have a reason to be.

Barium swallow or modified barium swallow is a very common test for aspiration in older individuals with neurologic disease . It is very important as you can possibly swallow water but have difficulty with other substances that can lead to aspiration or food going into the lung later on and pneumonia which can be quite devastating and fatal.. It is Ok in an 87 year old. Dont worry