Bacteriology of aspiration pneumonia due to delayed triggering of the swallowing reflex in elderly patients.

摘要

Aspiration is important as a frequent mechanism for hospital-acquired pneumonia. However, the aetiological agents of aspiration pneumonia have not been well characterised because of the difficulty in diagnosis. Recently, aspiration pneumonia was defined by the Japanese Study Group on Aspiration Pulmonary Disease as pneumonia in a patient with predisposition to aspiration due to dysphagia or swallowing disorders. Here, the swallowing dysfunction was assessed by evaluating the latent time of the swallowing reflex, induced by an injection of 1 ml. solution into the pharynx. In this study, the aetiology of aspiration pneumonia diagnosed by assessment of swallowing reflex was investigated.