Hydrocarbon aspiration (HA) can cause significant lung disease by inducing an inflammatory response, hemorrhagic exudative alveolitis, and loss of surfactant function. The most serious side effect of HA is aspiration pneumonia. Pneumothorax, pneumatocele, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), pulmonary abscess, bronchopleural fistula, bilateral hemorrhagic pleural effusion and pyopneumoth...

The British Thoracic Society (BTS) has recently published new Clinical Statements on community-acquired pneumonia in people with learning disability and aspiration pneumonia, offering best practice advice for managing these conditions. This article summarises some of the main clinical points from statements.

BACKGROUND Aspiration pneumonia is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in Parkinson's disease (PD). Clinical characteristics of PD patients in addition to specific alterations in swallowing mechanisms contribute to higher swallowing times and impairment in the effective clearance of the airway. These issues may render patients more prone to dysphagia and aspiration events. We aimed to...

BACKGROUND Post-operative pulmonary infection often appears to result from aspiration of pathogens colonizing the oral cavity. It was hypothesized that impaired periodontal status and pathogenic oral bacteria significantly contribute to development of aspiration pneumonia following neurosurgical operations. Further, the prophylactic effects of a single dose preoperative cefazolin on the oral ba...

Nocardia pneumonia is a relatively rare lung infection in Taiwan. It is usually related to contact with soil or contaminated water. A 39-year-old previously healthy man had a work-related fall resulting in multiple wounds and fractures as well as aspiration of river water and soil. His hospital course was complicated by facial necrotizing fasciitis due to aeromonas species and acinetobacter pne...

A spiration pneumonia is a disease recognized since antiquity, yet there are few conditions in pulmonary medicine as frequent in occurrence but as lacking in consensus regarding classification and treatment. The priority for clinical description belongs to Hippocrates,’ the first scientific investigalion is ascribed to John Hunters in 1781, and the “classic study” is credited to Mendelson in 19...

OBJECTIVE To determine the incidence of dysphagia and associated pulmonary compromise in stroke patients through a systematic review of the published literature. METHODS Databases were searched (1966 through May 2005) using terms "cerebrovascular disorders," "deglutition disorders," and limited to "humans" for original articles addressing the frequency of dysphagia or pneumonia. Data sources ...

In Japan, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) has been used mainly in patients with stroke and dementia, who are unable to undertake oral ingestion voluntarily. The number of patients who rely on PEG feeding has recently increasing. The occurrence of aspiration pneumonia after PEG placement is difficult to predict. With a simple and new examination procedure which measures intra-gastric p...

BACKGROUND Aspiration can cause a diverse spectrum of pulmonary disorders some of which can lead to death but can be difficult to diagnose. PATIENTS AND METHODS The medical records and autopsy findings of 57 consecutive patients in whom aspiration was the immediate cause of death at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN, USA) over a 9-yr period, from January 1 2004 to December 31 2012 were analyzed. R...