title: [Pneumonia and mortality in patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation].
abstract: We examined patients who required prolonged (>60 days) mechanical ventilation. A total of 31 patients were studied, 23 with pulmonary disease, 4 with neurologic disease and 4 with other conditions. Many of these patients were elderly. The survival rates one year and two years after the start of mechanical ventilation were 40% and 33%, respectively. Respiratory tract infection was the most common and most serious complication, and ventilator-associated pneumonia was the main cause of death. It is difficult but quite important to prevent these complications, especially ventilator-associated pneumonia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Kawasaki Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tanabe
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoneyama
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kobashi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Higo
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tano
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsushima
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002423:Cause of Death; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality*; D015996:Survival Rate