الاثنين، 20 مارس 2017

What You Need To Know About Aspiration Pneumonia Prevention

By Christopher Richardson


Pneumonia is basically a breathing condition where there is an infection or swelling of the lungs or the large airways. However, the aspiration pneumonia arises when food, liquids, saliva, or vomit is inhaled into the airways or the lungs, instead of into the esophagus. The type of bacteria causing the pneumonic condition usually depend on your health, whether you have been hospitalized recently, and if your immune system is weak. You can, however, minimize the risk of this condition through aspiration pneumonia prevention.

There are numerous risk factors for inhaling materials into the lungs. Some of those risk factors include a coma, drinking too much alcohol, swallowing problems, old age, and being less alert due to an illness or medicines. The other risk factors are such as receiving medications like the general anesthesia during surgery, as well as poor gag reflex in semi-conscious or unconscious people due to a brain injury or stroke.

This condition is basically a complication of the pulmonary aspiration, where pulmonary aspiration arises when you inhale foreign material such as food, saliva or stomach acid into your lungs. You might also aspirate food from the stomach to the esophagus. However, all these materials may carry bacteria into your lungs, although healthy lungs are able to clear up such material on their own. If the lungs cannot clear up on their own, a pneumonic condition develops.

When a patient is suffering from this condition, they might show certain symptoms such as throat clearing, poor oral hygiene, and wet coughing after eating. There are other symptoms such as wheezing, chest pain, and shortness of breath, fatigue, bad breath, and excessive sweating. Again, the patient might show other symptoms like swallowing difficulties, a cough with green sputum, blue discoloration of the skin, and foul odor.

A pneumonic condition generally arises if body immune system has been impaired, and harmful bacteria gets into the lungs through aspirated materials. As a result of the poor immunity, pneumonia arises. Also, the condition can occur when drinks or foods go the wrong way. However, this may happen if when you have swallowing or gag reflex is normal. Individual who have impaired coughing ability are not able to clear the inhaled materials.

During the diagnosis of aspiration pneumonia, the doctor looks for pneumonic signs during the physical exam. The doctor normally detects decreased air flow, crackling sound in your lungs, and rapid heart rate. The doctor can also perform other tests so as to confirm the pneumonic condition. Such tests may include chest x-ray, blood culture, sputum culture, bronchoscopy, arterial blood gas or complete blood count.

The treatment of this condition usually depends on how severe the pneumonic condition is. Again, the treatment duration and the result of the treatment usually depends on the general health of the patient, as well as the preexisting conditions. In the case the condition is severe, hospitalization might be necessary.

Normally, doctors prescribe antibiotics for this condition. However, it is important you take all the medications as prescribed, usually for about 1-2 weeks. In case the condition causes breathing difficulties, supportive care would be necessary.




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