Medical Terminology for Food-Containing Emesis
The medical term for vomitus (emesis) that contains food particles is "food material" or simply describing the emesis as containing "food particles" or "undigested food." 1
Standard Medical Documentation
When documenting emesis content in medical records, clinicians typically describe what is observed rather than using a single specialized term:
- "Food material in emesis" is the standard descriptive phrase used in clinical guidelines when documenting aspiration risk assessment 1
- "Emesis with food particles" or "emesis containing undigested food" are commonly used clinical descriptions 1
- The term "food material" specifically appears in aspiration pneumonitis definitions when describing emesis found in the oral/pharyngeal cavity 1
Clinical Context and Documentation
The presence of food material in emesis has important clinical implications:
Aspiration risk assessment: When food material is noted in emesis or found in the oral/pharyngeal cavity, it indicates increased risk for aspiration pneumonitis, particularly if associated with new cough, wheeze, increased respiratory effort, or radiographic changes 1
Gastric emptying assessment: The presence of solid food particles in emesis provides information about gastric emptying time, with complete stomach emptying of a light meal typically occurring by 240 minutes after ingestion 1
Timing considerations: Food particles may remain in gastric contents for 2-4 hours after a light meal, which is relevant for procedural sedation fasting guidelines 1
Related Terminology
- "Bilious emesis" refers to vomitus containing bile (greenish-yellow fluid) 1
- "Hematemesis" refers to vomiting blood
- "Coffee-ground emesis" describes partially digested blood in vomitus
- "Projectile emesis" describes forceful vomiting 1
There is no single Latin or Greek-derived medical term equivalent to "hematemesis" specifically for food-containing vomitus—the standard practice is descriptive documentation of the emesis content.