Hypostatic pneumonia is a complex lesion of the respiratory organs (bronchi and lungs) that develops in bedridden patients.
General concept of the disease
Recumbent people are unable to move normally and even turn from side to side. This provokes a deterioration in ventilation of the lungs and the accumulation of sputum in the bronchi. However, the patient is simply not able to cough it up. As a result, inflammation develops in the organs - hypostatic pneumonia.
This pathological condition is considered very dangerous. The fact is that at first it practically does not manifest itself in any way. The patient does not even have anxiety. Early detection of symptoms is essential for effective treatment.
The causative agent of pathology can be pneumococcus, streptococcus, staphylococcus aureus. It begins to develop in the lower part of the right lung. If the process is bilateral, then it will be quite difficult to cure it.
Why does disease occur?
Hypostatic pneumonia in the elderly toooccurs often, even if they are not bedridden. Here the cause is a weak contraction of the diaphragm, as well as a deterioration in the elasticity of the lung tissue.
And the risk group includes patients who:
- Bedridden or severely restricted in movement.
- They are in the postoperative rehabilitation period.
- Have a deformity of the chest or curvature of the spinal column.
- They are at the last stage of the development of cancer.
- Suffer from bronchial asthma, hypertension, emphysema, cardiosclerosis or atherosclerosis.
Hypostatic pneumonia also develops as a result of congestive processes in the pulmonary circulation.
Stages of disease progression
Symptoms of the pathology may appear already on the 2-3rd day, or may be absent for several weeks. During this time, the disease continues to develop. There are only 3 stages of pneumonia:
- First. At this stage, there is a slowdown in the outflow of blood in the pulmonary circulation. At the same time, the veins become very crowded, and small vessels lengthen and expand. Further, alveolar collapse occurs - the cells of the lung tissue are squeezed by capillaries. This stage can already be seen on the x-ray. It shows a noticeable decrease in the transparency of tissues, as well as a vascular pattern.
- Second. Here there is a sweating of blood serum from the vessels into the alveoli and stroma. In the picture, you can already notice the inflammatory process in the bronchi.
- Third. At this stage, swelling of the interstitial tissue occurs, and the scar tissue grows and replaces the normal one.
In bedridden patients, the main complication is precisely hypostatic pneumonia. ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases) assigned her the code J.18.2.
How does pathology manifest itself?
Hypostatic pneumonia has the following symptoms:
- Shortness of breath and hard breathing.
- Feverish condition.
- High heart rate.
- Coughing up blood.
- During listening, there are wet loud rales.
- Discharge of viscous sputum containing pus.
- Excessive sweating and chills.
- Steady slight rise in temperature.
- A person is not able to normally endure any physical activity.
The intensity of symptoms depends on how long the disease has been developing.
Features of the diagnosis of the disease
Hypostatic pneumonia in elderly bedridden people is very common. To make an accurate diagnosis, the patient should be carefully examined. He is assigned:
- Listening to the lungs and external examination. If possible, the doctor should ask the patient about his feelings.
- X-ray of the chest, which will show the affected dark areas of the lungs.
- Biochemical and complete blood count.
- Electrocardiogram.
- Bronchoscopy.
- Ultrasound examination of the pleural area.
- MRI.
- Laboratory testing of urine and blood gases.
- Microscopic sputum analysis.
Thanks to this examination, you can make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe effective therapy.
Features of the treatment of pathology
Treatment of hypostatic pneumonia is mostly conservative. It provides for the destruction of pathological microflora, the elimination of pulmonary edema, as well as the restoration of their normal ventilation.
As for medications, the following drugs are used to treat pneumonia:
- Antibiotics: Ampicillin, Erythromycin, Cefuroxime. Augmentin is also used.
- Expectorants: Lazolvan, ACC, Erespal. The course for receiving such funds is a month.
- Antioxidant drugs.
- Immunomodulators.
- Drugs to improve metabolic processes in the heart: Trental, Digitalis.
- Diuretics: "Furosemide", "Hypothiazide".
In addition to medication, a bedridden patient is prescribed physiotherapeutic procedures: oxygen therapy, inhalations and exercise therapy. Naturally, the treatment of such a pathology cannot be done at home.
Using folk recipes
To eliminate this type of pneumonia as an addition to complex treatmenttraditional medicines are used. The following recipes effectively fight the disease:
- Infusion based on thyme herb. For cooking, 2 tablespoons of crushed raw materials are required, which is poured with half a liter of boiled water. After cooling, the infusion is filtered and consumed in half a cup. The remedy is drunk up to 4 times a day.
- An infusion of dried viburnum is suitable for cleaning the bronchi. Pour 2 tablespoons of berries into a clean thermos and pour them with a glass of boiling water. The medicine is infused all night. The patient should be given the drug by sip after a meal. Linden honey can be added to the liquid.
- Expectoration well improves rosehip decoction. You can use both dry and fresh berries for its preparation. It is better to prepare a fresh decoction each time, as it will be more effective.
- Lemon or raspberry tea works great.
- Phlegm is also well removed by syrup based on elecampane root. For cooking, you need 2 tbsp. l. raw materials, which is poured into a glass of boiled water. Next, you need to cook the mixture over low heat for 30 minutes. After cooling, the liquid is filtered. Now honey should be added to it so that the taste is both sweet and bitter. The patient must take such a remedy before meals, 2 tbsp. l.
Forecast and prevention
Hypostatic pneumonia must be detected in time. The main thing is to prevent the occurrence of complications. Otherwise, the prognosis for the development of pathology will beunfavorable. If the treatment was carried out correctly, then the patient recovers after 3-4 weeks. Naturally, bilateral hypostatic inflammation is much more difficult to cure.
Naturally, it is desirable to prevent the development of the disease. Prevention of hypostatic pneumonia includes the following rules:
- The air in the room where the patient lies must have the required level of humidity.
- It is advisable to use an orthopedic mattress that does not lead to spinal deformity.
- The nutrition of the patient should be varied and complete. It is good if the products contain enough vitamins.
- Special gymnastics is useful, as well as massage of the back and chest.
- The position of the patient's body should be changed periodically.
- If possible, it is better to take the patient to fresh air.
In order to determine the onset of pneumonia in time, you should carefully listen to the patient's breathing. Rattling and gurgling sounds should alert. It must be remembered that any disease in the elderly is more difficult than in the young, so they should be monitored. Stay he althy!
