Hospital-acquired pneumonia

Causes and Risks:
Pneumonia is a very common serious illness and affects 1 out 100 people each year. It is caused by many different organisms and can range in seriousness from mild to a life-threatening illness. Hospital-acquired pneumonia tends to be more serious because defense mechanisms against infection are often impaired, and the kinds of infecting organisms are greater than generally encountered in the community. Risk factors predisposing people to hospital-acquired pneumonia are alcoholism , older age, immunosuppression from medications or diseases, recent illness, and risk of aspiration . The incidence is 5 out of 100,000 people.

Prevention:
Ongoing prevention programs to limit hospital-acquired infections are in place at most institutions.

Symptoms:



Signs and Tests:
A physical examination reveals crackles found by listening to the chest with a stethoscope.

Tests performed may include:



Treatment:
The objective or treatment is to cure the infection with antibiotics. The antibiotic is chosen that treats the specific causative organism detected by sputum culture .

Supportive treatment includes supplemental oxygen and respiratory treatments to loosen and remove thick secretions from the lungs.

Prognosis:
Most patients respond to the treatment and improve in 2 weeks.

Complications:
Elderly or debilitated patients who fail to respond to treatment may die from acute respiratory failure.

Call Your Healthcare Provider:
This disorder usually develops in the hospital and is detected there.