title: Rate of aspiration pneumonia in hospitalized Parkinson's disease patients: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Aspiration pneumonia is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in Parkinson's disease (PD). Clinical characteristics of PD patients in addition to specific alterations in swallowing mechanisms contribute to higher swallowing times and impairment in the effective clearance of the airway. These issues may render patients more prone to dysphagia and aspiration events. We aimed to determine the frequency of aspiration events in a hospitalized PD cohort, and to report the number of in-hospital swallow evaluations.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective single center chart review of 212 PD patients who had 339 hospital encounters was performed from January 2011 to March 2013. Demographics, clinical characteristics, and reasons for encounters were documented. The number of in-hospital aspiration events and the number of swallowing evaluations and also the implementation of aspiration precautions were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The cohort had a mean age of 74.1 (SD = 10.1) years with mean disease duration of 6 (SD = 6.3) years. Fifty-two hospital encounters (15.3%) were related to a pulmonary cause. In-hospital aspiration pneumonia events were reported in 8 (2.4%) of the total encounters. Swallow evaluations were performed in 25% of all cases, and aspiration precautions were initiated in 32% of the encounters. The data revealed that 1/8 patient had swallowing evaluations performed prior to an aspiration event.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In-hospital aspiration pneumonia events were reported in 2.4% of the hospitalized PD cohort. Preventive measures and precautions were not routinely performed, however rates of aspiration were relatively low. The results highlight the need for more research into screening and monitoring of swallowing problems in PD patients during hospital encounters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, Gainesville, FL, USA. Daniel.Martinez-Ramirez@neurology.ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Martinez-Ramirez
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, Gainesville, FL, USA. l.almeida@ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, Gainesville, FL, USA. juancgiugni@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Giugni
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, Gainesville, FL, USA. Bilal.Ahmed@neurology.ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Bilal
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, Gainesville, FL, USA. masa.higuchi.29@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Masa-Aki
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Higuchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, Gainesville, FL, USA. chris08@ulf.edu.
authors.forename: Christopher S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Little
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, Gainesville, FL, USA. parkerchap@ufl.edu.
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, Gainesville, FL, USA. cmignacca@ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mignacca
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, Gainesville, FL, USA. aparna.shukla@neurology.ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Aparna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wagle Shukla
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, Gainesville, FL, USA. christopher.hess@neurology.ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Christopher W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Hess
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, Gainesville, FL, USA. kwheeler@ufl.edu.|Department of Speech Language and Hearing Sciences, University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions, Gainesville, FL, USA. kwheeler@ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Karen Wheeler
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Hegland
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, Gainesville, FL, USA. okun@neurology.ufl.edu.|Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida College of Medicine, Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, Gainesville, FL, USA. okun@neurology.ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Okun
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003679:Deglutition; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications*; D011015:Pneumonia, Aspiration / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies