aspiration pneumonia

(noun)

Aspiration pneumonia is bronchopneumonia that develops due to the entrance of foreign materials into the bronchial tree, usually oral or gastric contents (including food, saliva, or nasal secretions).

Related Terms

Examples of aspiration pneumonia in the following topics:

  • Medulla Injury

    • Speech therapy may be beneficial to determined diet recommendations and help to understand if there is risk for aspiration pneumonia.

  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

    • Difficulty swallowing and chewing making eating normally very difficult and increase the risk of choking or aspirating food into the lungs.
    • In later stages of the disease, aspiration pneumonia and maintaining a healthy weight can become a significant problem and may require insertion of a feeding tube.
    • Most people with ALS die of respiratory failure or pneumonia.

  • Vomiting

    • The individual may choke and asphyxiate or suffer aspiration pneumonia.

  • Pneumonia

    • Vaccines to prevent certain types of pneumonia are available.
    • Presumed bacterial pneumonia is treated with antibiotics.
    • Pneumonia can be classified in several ways.
    • It is most commonly classified by where or how it was acquired (community-acquired, aspiration, healthcare-associated, hospital-acquired, and ventilator-associated pneumonia), but may also be classified by the area of lung affected (lobar, bronchial, or acute interstitial), or by the causative organism.
    • Viral pneumonia may last longer, and mycoplasmal pneumonia may take four to six weeks to resolve completely.

  • Acidosis

    • Pneumothorax, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, asthma, severe pneumonia, and aspiration are among the most frequent causes.

  • Adjustments of the Infant at Birth

    • Potential neonatal respiratory problems include apnea, transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTNB), respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS), airway obstruction, and pneumonia.

  • Respiratory Distress Syndrome

    • ARDS can occur within 24 to 48 hours of an injury (trauma, burns, aspiration, massive blood transfusion, drug/alcohol abuse) or an acute illness (infectious pneumonia, sepsis, acute pancreatitis).

  • Leukemia

    • Because leukemia prevents the immune system from working normally, some patients experience frequent infection, ranging from infected tonsils, sores in the mouth, or diarrhea, to life-threatening pneumonia or opportunistic infections.
    • A Wright's stained bone marrow aspirate smear of patient with precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
    • Because these can often be attributed to other conditions, a complete blood count and/or bone marrow aspirate are required to successfully diagnose leukemia.

  • Intubation During Anesthesia

    • Although it is not the only means to maintain a patent airway during general anesthesia, intubation of the trachea provides the most reliable means of oxygenation and ventilation and the greatest degree of protection against regurgitation and pulmonary aspiration.
    • Examples of such conditions include cervical spine injury, multiple rib fractures, severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), or near-drowning.

  • Bone Marrow Examination

    • This is the purpose of bone marrow aspiration and biopsy.
    • Bone marrow samples can be obtained by aspiration and trephine biopsy.
    • Sometimes a bone marrow examination will include both an aspirate and a biopsy.
    • However, an aspirate can also be obtained from the sternum (breastbone).
    • Typically, the aspirate is performed first.