Hospital-acquired pneumonia (patient information)

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Hospital-acquired pneumonia

Overview

What are the symptoms?

What are the causes?

Diagnosis

Treatment options

Where to find medical care for Hospital-acquired pneumonia?

Prevention

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

Hospital-acquired pneumonia On the Web

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief:Shivali Marketkar, M.B.B.S. [2]

Overview

Hospital-acquired pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that occurs during a hospital stay. This type of pneumonia can be very severe. Sometimes it can be fatal.

What are the symptoms of (Hospital-acquired pneumonia)?

In an elderly person, the first sign of hospital-acquired pneumonia may be mental changes or confusion. Other symptoms are:

  • A cough that may produce mucus-like, greenish, or pus-like phlegm (sputum)
  • Fever and chills
  • General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling (malaise)
  • Loss of appetite
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Sharp chest pain that gets worse with deep breathing or coughing
  • Shortness of breath

What causes (Hospital-acquired pneumonia)?

Pneumonia is a common illness. It is caused by many different germs. Hospital-acquired pneumonia tends to be more serious than other lung infections because:

  • Patients in the hospital are often very sick and cannot fight off germs.
  • The types of germs present in a hospital are often more dangerous than those encountered in the community.

Hospital-acquired pneumonia occurs more often in patients who are using a respirator machine to help them breathe. This machine is also called a ventilator. This type of pneumonia is known as ventilator-associated pneumonia.Hospital-acquired pneumonia can also be spread by health care workers, who can pass germs from their hands or clothes from one patient to another. That is why hand-washing, wearing gowns, and using other safety measures is so important in the hospital.

Patients who are more prone to getting hospital-acquired pneumonia:

  • Are alcoholic
  • Have had chest surgery or other major surgery
  • Have a weak immune system from cancer treatment, certain medicines, or severe wounds
  • Have long-term (chronic) lung disease
  • Breathe saliva or food into their lungs as a result of not being fully alert or problems swallowing
  • Are older

Who is at highest risk?

Diagnosis

Tests to check for hospital-acquired pneumonia may include:

  • Arterial blood gases, to measure oxygen levels in the blood
  • Blood cultures, to see if the infection has spread to the blood
  • Chest x-ray or CT scan, to check the lungs
  • Complete blood count (CBC)
  • Pulse oximetry, to measure oxygen levels in the blood
  • Sputum culture or sputum gram stain, to check for what germs are causing the pneumonia

When to seek urgent medical care?

Treatment options

Where to find medical care for (Hospital-acquired pneumonia)?

to Hospitals Treating Hospital-acquired pneumonia

Prevention

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

Possible complications

Sources


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