Aspiration Pneumonia in Nursing Home Patients

Aspiration pneumonia is a condition that is unfortunately common among elderly residents. It attacks vulnerable residents whose immune systems are already weakened.

This type of pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death among nursing home patients. The routine day-to-day care of an elderly resident or lack thereof by staff members can be a risk factor for this disease.

The medical care that seniors receive at their nursing homes when they have aspiration pneumonia can also be a determinant of whether they are able to survive the illness.

However, many nursing homes either fail to spot the warning signs that would enable their physicians to give prompt treatment or simply do not give adequate medical care to residents.

If your family member suffered serious medical complications or death related to aspiration pneumonia during admission to nursing, you may have grounds to pursue a negligence case against the facility.

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How Aspiration Pneumonia Develops in Elderly Individuals

Aspiration pneumonia is an illness that does not necessarily result from natural causes. Instead, it is an infection that is caused by the fact that the patient aspirates something into their lungs. Generally, this is either food, liquid or vomit. They may be having trouble eating or drinking and the byproducts end up in their lungs. In other words, the sickness results from foreign material entering their lungs which may be preventable.

Most healthy people are not at risk of developing aspiration pneumonia. Those over the age of 75 have the highest risk of the illness. There are risk factors that nursing home residents have that make them more likely to contract aspiration pneumonia. Specifically, some of the things that make an elderly resident a higher risk are:

• Use of a tube feeding
• Missing teeth or poor oral hygiene
• The weakness of the muscles needed for swallowing
• An already weakened immune system

As you can see, there is some risk that inadequate nursing home care can increase a resident's risk for developing aspiration pneumonia. For example, staff can fail to adequately maintain the resident's oral hygiene and the result can be fluid aspirating into the lung. Alternatively, they could fail to care for and maintain the feeding tube. While aspiration pneumonia may not be able to be fully prevented by the proper care, a lack of care can certainly be a factor in whether a resident develops the condition.

How to Prevent Aspiration Pneumonia in Skilled Nursing Facilities

Oftentimes, aspiration pneumonia can be prevented by giving the resident the proper dietary case and supervision. Ensuring that the resident sits up while eating lowers some of the risks. Giving the resident the right type of food can also help. For example, if the resident is not able to properly chew the food, the nursing staff should give them soft foods that can be easily swallowed. However, many of the lower performing nursing homes do not closely scrutinize their residents' diet and food intake even though federal regulations require it.

Nonetheless, there are warning signs of aspiration pneumonia that the staff should be able to spot. The normal daily healthcare and examinations may often be enough to alert the staff that something is wrong with the resident and that there is a need for further testing. For example, fever, cough, and trouble swallowing are a few of the symptoms of aspiration pneumonia. If these persist for several days, it is a possible sign of the condition.

However, not all nursing homes give the proper medical care that could result in finding the condition. They may mistake the symptoms with those of another condition or they may not even find them at all. This is another way in which substandard care can endanger the life of the resident as a prompt diagnosis is key if your loved one is to survive this serious illness. At a minimum, aspiration pneumonia will likely result in a long hospital stay and the need for long-term treatment.

Medical Treatment for Aspiration Pneumonia