The likely cause of a common pneumonia is easily missed by sick patients and clinicians: unbrushed teeth.
That’s according to a report by Kaiser Health News, which found that a lack of awareness about the problem is contributing to the prevalence of deadly pneumonia cases in bedridden patients.
Non-ventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia (NVHAP) accounts for most cases of the disease and kills up to 30% of those infected, KHN reported. Cases are often triggered when bacteria travel from the mouth to the lungs, a problem that is exacerbated when a patient lies on their back for hours. Yet hospitals typically do not prioritize cleaning patients’ teeth — a source of the germs, experts told the news outlet.
“[T]he vast majority of the tens of thousands of nurses in hospitals have no idea that pneumonia comes from germs in the mouth,” Dian Baker, PhD, MSN, of Sacramento State, told KHN.
93% reduction
Hospitals aren’t required to track NVHAP, and many studies focus on ventilator-acquired pneumonia, which affects a smaller population, KHN reported. What’s more, prevalence of the disease has likely been underestimated during the pandemic, experts said.
But evidence is increasingly showing how NVHAP cases could be avoided if healthcare staff ensure toothbrushing in bedridden patients. In one 2016 Veterans Health Administration study, for example, an oral care program reduced rates of NVHAP by 92% and saved an estimated 13 lives in 19 months.
Now the program has been expanded across the VHA, with nurse training and family and caregiver education. It is seen as a model for other healthcare settings, it reported.
Raising awareness
Meanwhile, a bid to raise awareness is gaining steam. A group that included the Joint Commission last year published a call-to-action research paper in an effort to kickstart the conversation about toothbrushing and pneumonia among healthcare providers.
Pneumonia is a known scourge in non-hospital healthcare settings as well, such as nursing homes. Prior to the pandemic, pneumonia was the leading cause of hospitalization and death among residents. Analysts estimate that it accounted for 40% of hospitalizations and up to 33% of deaths at that time.
The full story can be found on KHN’s website.
