Stomach as source of bacteria colonising respiratory tract during artificial ventilation.
10 adults had intermittent positive-pressure ventilation for 3--34 days. All 10 had paralytic ileus. Microbial overgrowth in the stomach was found in 9 patients (bacterial in 7 and fungal in 2); gram-negative bacteria predominated. The trachea invariably became colonised by bacteria, mainly gram-negative organisms. In 3 instances the gram-negative bacteria were found in the stomach before they appeared in the tracheal aspirate, and in 1 case the pathogen originated in the faeces.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000209:etiology; D004756:Enterobacteriaceae Infections / Q000209:etiology; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007384:Intermittent Positive-Pressure Breathing / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007711:Klebsiella pneumoniae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008875:Middle Aged; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011513:Proteus mirabilis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000209:etiology; D018805:Sepsis / Q000209:etiology*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000209:etiology; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013270:Stomach / Q000382:microbiology*; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000209:etiology; D014115:Toxemia / Q000209:etiology*; D014132:Trachea / Q000382:microbiology*