Seminars in respiratory and critical care medicine
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Semin Respir Crit Care Med · Dec 2024
Review"SWALLOWING AND ASPIRATION: HOW TO EVALUATE AND TREAT SWALLOWING DISORDERS ASSOCIATED WITH ASPIRATION PNEUMONIA IN OLDER PERSONS".
Aspiration pneumonia (AP) is the most severe complication of oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD). It is highly underdiagnosed and undertreated among older patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Our aim is to review the state of the art in the diagnosis and treatment of swallowing disorders associated with AP. ⋯ The diagnosis of AP must be based on standardized criteria providing evidence on the main etiological factor, oropharyngeal aspiration. Clinical algorithms are valid in the diagnosis of AP and the identification of its main risk factors. Combination of AI-based tools with V-VST can lead to massive screening of OD and save resources and improve efficiency in the detection of AP.
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Semin Respir Crit Care Med · Dec 2024
ReviewBacteriology of Aspiration Pneumonia: The Lung Microbiome and the Changing Microbial Etiology.
Aspiration pneumonia refers to the process of alveolar inflammation induced by the inhalation of oropharyngeal secretions into the lower respiratory tract. Predisposing factors comprise swallowing dysfunction, impaired cough reflex, and degenerative neurological diseases. Accumulating evidence projects a fading contribution of anaerobic bacteria in aspiration pneumonia at the expense of Gram-negative bacilli, with Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, becoming the predominant organisms recovered from respiratory specimens. ⋯ Understanding this complex temporal variability between microbiome-host associations was only made possible with the introduction of metagenomic sequencing. In this narrative review, we summarize existing knowledge and elaborate on the evolving microbiology of aspiration pneumonia including the link between oral microbiome and pulmonary aspiration. We also highlight the progress and challenges in instituting microbiome-targeted strategies for preventing and treating the sequelae of aspiration pneumonia.
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Semin Respir Crit Care Med · Dec 2024
ReviewMedications to Modify Aspiration Risk: Those That Add to Risk and Those That May Reduce Risk.
Aspiration pneumonia results from the abnormal entry of fluids into the respiratory tract. We present a review of drugs known to affect the risk of aspiration. Drugs that increase the risk of aspiration pneumonia can be broadly divided into those that affect protective reflexes (like cough and swallowing) due to direct or indirect mechanisms, and drugs that facilitate gastric dysbiosis or affect esophageal and intestinal motility. ⋯ Focusing on modifiable risk factors for aspiration pneumonia is relevant since this may help to reduce the incidence of this often severe problem. Among these, several commonly used drug classes have been shown to increase the risk of aspiration pneumonia. These drugs should be withheld in the high-risk population whenever possible, alongside general measures, such as the semirecumbent position during sleep and feeding.
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Semin Respir Crit Care Med · Dec 2024
ReviewAspiration after critical illness: role of endotracheal tube, tracheostomy, swallowing disorders.
Swallowing is a complex process that involves over 50 muscles and nerves and has two critical roles: passing food from the oral cavity through the pharynx and into the esophagus and preventing contents from entering the airway. If a patient's swallowing physiology or airway protective mechanisms are disturbed, the airways and the lungs have innate defense systems to protect against injury and infection. However, critically ill patients are more likely to develop dysphagia, which is an impairment or malfunction in any aspect of the swallowing mechanism, due to the numerous interventions they undergo. ⋯ Further research is necessary to help determine the best ways to prevent and manage pulmonary aspiration in critically ill patients. Several interventions are essential in preventing and managing dysphagia and the sequelae of swallowing dysfunction. Further research is needed to help elucidate the best way to avoid and manage pulmonary aspiration in critically ill patients.
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Semin Respir Crit Care Med · Dec 2024
ReviewImaging of Aspiration: When to Suspect Based on Imaging of Bacterial Aspiration, Chemical Aspiration, and Foreign Body Aspiration.
Aspiration-related syndromes comprise a broad spectrum of diseases affecting the airways and lung parenchyma resulting from inadvertent entry of oropharyngeal or gastric contents into the respiratory tract. The diagnosis can be challenging given lack of self-reported symptoms and unwitnessed or silent aspiration events. Aspiration is a common finding in healthy individuals suggesting that host defenses play a critical role in the pathophysiology. ⋯ Acute syndromes include pneumonia, pneumonitis, and foreign body aspiration. In the more indolent form of aspiration, bronchiectasis, diffuse bronchiolitis, and interstitial lung disease can develop. A detailed understanding of associated radiographic findings for these syndromes can help to implicate aspiration as the cause for imaging abnormalities and ultimately optimize patient management.