A sometimes fatal condition in which acid fluid from the stomach is brought up into the windpipe and passes into the lungs, occurring mainly in obstetric patients [Described 1946. After Curtis L. Mendelson (b. 1913), US obstetrician and gynaecologist.]
Inhalation of regurgitated stomach contents, usually as a complication of general anaesthesia. It may cause death from anoxia or result in extensive lung damage.
The act of inhaling stomach contents that have been regurgitated while an individual is under general anesthesia is referred to as pulmonary acid aspiration syndrome. This can lead to harm to the mucous membranes lining the airways due to stomach acid exposure. It can also trigger bronchospasm, a sudden constriction of the airways to each lung, as well as pulmonary edema, the accumulation of fluid in the lungs. Such events can severely compromise breathing and potentially result in fatality.
This issue is specifically linked with general anesthesia administered for urgent obstetric procedures conducted during labor. It can be averted by administering medications that suppress the secretion of stomach acid before the surgical procedure.