Frequency of Stroke Associated Pneumonia in Stroke Patients

Abstract

Introduction: Stroke cases are complicated with infection and most of the cases are associated with poor prognosis, more length of hospital stay and financial burden. Varying terminologies (e.g., stroke-associated pneumonia [SAP], chest infection, post-stroke pneumonia and aspiration pneumonia) are used to address this issue. Early diagnosis of pneumonia in stroke sufferers is challenging for medical specialists. Objective: To determine the frequency of stroke associated pneumonia in stroke patients. Study design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Department of Medicine, Allied Hospital, Faisalabad. Duration of study: 01-02-2016 to 31-07-2016. Sample Size:  A total of 100 diagnosed stroke cases.  Sampling Technique: Non-probability purposive sampling.  Data collection procedure: All diagnosed cases of stroke were followed till 30 days (either in medical ward/outdoor) for stroke associated pneumonia, with positive finding in chest X-ray and culture of tracheal aspiration. Results: Patients were distributed according to age, which shows that  21.05%(n=60) were between 30-50 years of age while 78.95%(n=225) were between 51-70 years of age, mean+sd was calculated as 56.86+6.81 years, 51.58%(n=147) were male and 48.42%(n=138) were females. Frequency of stroke associated pneumonia in patients with stroke was recorded in 17.89 %( n=51) while 82.11 %( n=234) had no findings of the morbidity. Conclusion: We concluded that the frequency of stroke associated pneumonia is quite high among stroke patients. However, these cases should be diagnosed early managed accordingly.