[Pneumonia and mortality in patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation].
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.
Tanabe
J
J
Department of Internal Medicine, Kawasaki Medical School, Japan.
Yoneyama
H
H
Kobashi
Y
Y
Taniguchi
M
M
Higo
A
A
Yano
T
T
Kimura
M
M
Tano
Y
Y
Matsushima
T
T
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