Whether or not an elderly person with phlegm in his throat is life-threatening is usually related to the amount of phlegm, the patient’s consciousness and the cause of the illness, and cannot be generalized. 1. If the old man is conscious and the amount of phlegm is not too much, and he can expel the phlegm by himself, then it is not life threatening; 2. If the old man is delirious and in a coma, and the amount of sputum is large, due to the extreme weakness of the patient’s inability to expel sputum, at this time if the sputum is not expelled in a timely manner, it is likely to be life-threatening, and should be given a suction device to suck sputum in a timely manner, or given tracheal intubation, tracheotomy, and assisted respiratory breathing with the respiratory machine. In addition, phlegm in the throat of the elderly is often seen in respiratory diseases such as bronchitis, lung infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and obstructive pneumonia, etc. It is recommended to consult a doctor in a timely manner, combined with the cause of the disease and the patient’s physical condition, and comply with the doctor’s instructions for standardized treatment.