Hello, Difficulty in swallowing is also called as dysphagia. Dysphagia is more common in patients with prolonged endotracheal intubation after cardiac surgery. If your husband had prolonged endotracheal intubation, that would be the cause of difficulty in swallowing. If dysphagia is suspected, a speech-language pathologist conducts a full swallowing assessment at the bedside in addition to a more objective video fluoroscopic assessment if required. If the speech-language pathologist identified dysphagia during clinical or video fluoroscopic assessment, subsequent treatment will be initiated according to dysphagia type and severity. Namely, the speech-language pathologist would first educate the patient and/or the patient s family about the swallowing disorder and then implement behavioral and dietary changes to improve the efficiency and safety of the swallow. Typically, treatment focused on postural changes, swallowing maneuver and/or texture modifications. So, please do consult your treating physician and inform him about your difficulty in swallowing and he would assign you to a speech language pathologist. Take care. Hope I have answered your question. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Pallavi M., Anesthesiologist