STROKE COMPLICATIONS DIFFICULTY SWALLOWING the act of swallowing requires coordination of the nerves and more than 30 pairs of muscles in the tongue , mouth and throat.as a result of stroke there can be muscle weakness and difficulty in swallowing its concerning because there is risk of inhaling saliva or food into the lungs which can result in pneumonia.it leads to poor long term outcome.this complication is more common in elderly patients its usually manged by inserting nasogastric tube.feeding is done by liquids or semisolids. if the person has chronic difficulty direct stomach feeding must be considered it is usually done b