Inhaling airborne particles occurs when contaminated droplets enter your patient's lungs through respiratory or anesthesia equipment, ventilation systems, humidifiers, showers, faucets, or from other people's coughing and sneezing. Pathogens then may proliferate in his respiratory tract. Identifying the invaders Just as nosocomial pneumonia can be acquired in various ways, it also has several causes. These can be bacterial, viral, or fungal. Bacterial pneumonia can be caused by one of many organisms.
Aspiration commonly initiates bacterial nosocomial pneumonia.
To diagnose bacterial pneumonia, the physician may rely on sputum cultures and Gram's stain, the presence of clinical signs and symptoms, and a chest X-ray. In addition, frequent suctioning may introduce organisms that colonize his upper airway but don't produce an infection. To obtain PSBs, the physician inserts a sterile brush into bronchoscopy tubing. Shielded from upper-airway contamination, this brush passes into the lower airway to collect a specimen for culture and sensitivity. If your patient's at risk for developing bacterial pneumonia, check his vital signs frequently and auscultate his chest to help spot danger early.