- Aspiration pneumonia
DiseaseDisorder infobox
Name = Aspiration pneumonia
Caption = Histopathologic image of aspiration pneumonia in an elderly patient with debilitating neurologic illness. Noteforeign-body giant cell reaction. Autopsy case. H & E stain.
ICD10 = ICD10|J|69|0|j|60, ICD10|P|24|9|p|20
ICD9 = ICD9|507, ICD9|770.12, ICD9|770.14, ICD9|770.16, ICD9|770.18
ICDO =
OMIM =
MedlinePlus = 000121
eMedicineSubj = emerg
eMedicineTopic = 464
DiseasesDB =
MeshID = D011015Aspiration pneumonia is
bronchopneumonia that develops due to the entrance of foreign materials that enter the bronchial tree, usually oral or gastric contents (including food, saliva, or nasal secretions). Depending on the acidity of the aspirate, a chemical pneumonitis can develop, and bacterial pathogens (particularlyanaerobic bacteria ) may add to the inflammation.Causes
Aspiration pneumonia is often caused by an incompetent
swallowing mechanism, such as occurs in some forms of neurological disease (a common cause being strokes) or while a person is intoxicated. Aniatrogenic cause is duringgeneral anaesthesia for an operation and patients are therefore instructed to benil per os (NPO) for at least four hours before surgery.Whether aspiration pneumonia represents a true bacterial infection or a chemical inflammatory process remains the subject of significant controversy. Both causes may present with similar symptoms.
Location
The location is often gravity dependent, and depends on the patient position. Generally the right middle and lower lung lobes are the most common sites of infiltrate formation due to the larger caliber and more vertical orientation of the right mainstem bronchus. Patients who aspirate while standing can have bilateral lower lung lobe infiltrates. The right upper lobe is a common area of consolidation in alcoholics who aspirate in the prone position. [cite web | url = http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic464.htm | title = eMedicine.com: Pneumonia, Aspiration" | author = Anand Swaminathan, MD Retrieved: 2007-01-20] Depending on the acidity of the aspirate, a chemical pneumonitis can develop, and bacterial pathogens (particularly
anaerobic bacteria ) may add to the inflammation.ee also
*
Dysphagia
*Meconium aspiration syndrome
*Nosocomial pneumonia References
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