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Aspiration pneumonia

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

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

Symptoms:

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

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

• Sweating, excessive
• Swallowing difficulty
• Breath odor

Signs and tests:

Physical examination may reveal crackling sounds in the lungs.

These tests also help diagnose this condition:

• Chest x-ray
• Sputum culture
• CBC
• Blood culture
• Bronchoscopy
• Swallowing studies
• CT scan of the chest

References:

Goldman L, Ausiello D. Cecil Textbook of Medicine . 22nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders; 2003.

Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2007 . 1st ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby; 2006.

Marx JA, Hockberger RS, Walls RM, eds. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 5th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2002.

• Review Date: 3/1/2007
• Reviewed By: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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