Risk factors for postoperative pulmonary infections in elderly patients with trauma

OBJECTIVE To investigate the related risk factors for postoperative infections in the elderly patients with trauma and analyze the distribution of pathogens causing the infections so as to reduce the incidence of pulmonary infections.METHODS The clinical data of 705 elderly patients with trauma who underwent surgeries from Jan2011 to Dec 2013 were retrospectively analyzed.The correlation between the incidence of the pulmonary infections and the factors,including the gender,age,bedridden time,smoking,anesthesia mode,operation duration,number of underlying diseases,history of respiratory disease,and interval between injury and treatment,was analyzed.RESULTS The pulmonary infections occurred in 68 of 705elderly patients with trauma,with the infection rate of 9.65%.A total of 89 strains of pathogens were isolated,among which the Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Klebsiella pneumoniae,Staphylococcus aureus,and Staphylococcus haemolyticus were dominant,accounting for28.09%,14.61%,24.72%,and 12.36%,respectively.The incidence of the pulmonary infections in the elderly patients with trauma was associated with the age,diabetic mellitus history,length of hospital stay,anesthesia mode,and operation duration(P0.05),and the operation duration had the greatest impact on the incidence of the pulmonary infections,with the OR value of 12.81.CONCLUSIONThe risk factors associated with the pulmonary infections in the elderly patients include the old age,long operation duration,general anesthesia,diabetic mellitus,and bedridden time.It is necessary to shorten the operation duration as much as possible,choose appropriate anesthesia mode,and intensify the nursing so as to reduce the incidence of the pulmonary infections.