Hospital-acquired pneumonia in elderly psychiatric patients: risk factors and pathogen characteristics / 中华老年医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate risk factors and characteristics of the pathogens for hospital-acquired pneumonia(HAP) in elderly psychiatric patients Methods Data were collected from 259 psychiatric patients aged over 60 hospitalized between January 2012 and December 2014,and risk factors for HAP and characteristics of the pathogens were analyzed.Results The incidence of HAP in the elderly psychiatric patients was 40.4％.Main risk factors for HAP included long-term bed rest,dysphagia,specific types of mental illness,underlying comorbidities,length of hospitalization,psychiatric medications,and age.A total of 137 pathogenic microbialstrains were isolated,of which,Gram-negative species accounted for 55.47％,with 32.12 ％ as Gram-positive species and 12.41 ％ as fungal species.Conclusions The main risk factors for HAP in elderly psychiatric patients are long-term bed rest,dysphagia,specific types of mental illness,underlying comorbidities,length of hospitalization,psychiatric medications,and age.The most common pathogens are Gram-negative microorganisms,followed by Gram-positive microorganisms and fungi.It is very important to take proactive measures to prevent the occurrence of HAP and improve prognosis.