BRONCHOPNEUMONIA IN TERMINALLY ILL PATIENTS

Bronchopneumonia was found in one third of all autopsies at the VA hospital in Fayetteville, N.C. In about two thirds of the bronchopneumonia cases there was evidence of aspiration. The risk of bronchopneumonia is increased with old age, white race, length of hospital stay, and the presence of debilitating disease. This is particularly true in cases of cerebral arteriosclerosis, especially when associated with dysphagia. Aspiration due to dysphagia is a predominant cause of bronchopneumonia in these patients. The beginning of bronchopneumonia is usually insidious, the symptoms few, and the course often rapid. Meticulous preventive measures are more important than reliance upon diagnostic procedures and therapy. © 1969 The American Geriatrics Society.