Saturday, February, 11, 2012

Aspiration pneumonia

Table of Contents

Alternative Names

Anaerobic pneumonia; Aspiration of vomitus; Necrotizing pneumonia; Aspiration pneumonitis


Symptoms
  • Bluish discoloration of the skin caused by lack of oxygen
  • Chest pain
  • Cough
    • With foul-smelling phlegm (sputum)
    • With sputum containing pus or blood
    • With greenish sputum
  • Fatigue
  • Fever
  • Shortness of breath
  • Wheezing

Other symptoms that can occur with this disease:

  • Breath odor
  • Excessive sweating
  • Swallowing difficulty

Signs and tests

A physical examination may reveal:

  • Crackling sounds in the lungs
  • Decreased oxygen
  • Rapid pulse (heart rate)

The following tests may also help diagnose this condition:

  • Arterial blood gas
  • Blood culture
  • Bronchoscopy
  • Chest x-ray
  • Complete blood count (CBC)
  • CT scan of the chest
  • Sputum culture
  • Swallowing studies


Review Date: 02/19/2011
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine; and Denis Hadjiliadis, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, Unviersity of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)