Some Best Aspiration Pneumonia Prevention Strategies

By Mary Stewart


Pneumonia is basically viewed as one of the most leading death causing disease in spite of most new potent antimicrobials. One of such most important risks of this particular disease is the aspiration of the oropharyngeal germs pathogens in the lower tract of respiration. Since there exists no accurate tests which could effectively be used to detect available micro aspirations great efforts have been made towards aspiration pneumonia prevention.

Some of these preventative measures include the following. Sedation is one of these measures. This particular prevention measure leads to minimized gag reflexes together with cough and can greatly interfere with the ability of majority of patient of effectively handle the secretions from oropharyngeal as well as the gastric contents. Additionally sedation is also viewed to effectively reduce the gastric emptying.

This is basically viewed as an infectious event process. In addition to the aspiration pneumonia risks which are basically associated with supine position, critical illness, presences of the devices of oropharygeal like the endotracheal tubes or even the nasogastric without forgetting the increasing age.

In the instances where feeding might be administered in the wrong site like the esophagus or stomach of a given patient who might be in need of a small bowel feeding then this tends to greatly increase the risk of aspiration. It is actually a very usual thing for the tube to actually become malpositioned especially during the normal routine usage.

It is also important to actually note that sedation is also effective when it comes to gastric emptying. If the risk of of to be of such disease is effectively reduced then it would be necessary to actually use the lowest levels of sedation.

Fasting actually before anesthesia basically reduces the gastric volume which also helps in minimizing the risks associated with such a illness. It is actually suggested that patients need to fast for at least two hours especially after liquids and also after nine hours after a heavy meal. However it may also appear that the stomach might contain some acidic fluids especially from bilious fluids together with the secretions of gastric which in turn might be aspirated.

Another necessary strategy is by simply avoiding the bolus tube feeding especially for the patients who are at a high risk of this particular disease. Experts dealing with this particular disease have made a conclusions regarding the best formula which can offer much effective as a delivery method. It has also been suggested that there exists no clear guidelines associated with the bolus feeding.

With the logical basis administration of the whole four hour volume especially the formula over a period of several minutes then there exists a likelihood of predispose especially to regurgitation particularly of the content of gastric when compared to the steady administration of similar volume over a four hour period. Most of critical care units usually use the constant feedings method. Basically the preventive methods especially in the preoperative period together with those patients who are at a high risk of getting infected with this kind of a disease needs to be assured so as to avoid complications.




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