“Aspiration is a process whereby material from the oropharynx and stomach enter the larynx or lower respiratory tract; it is reported to occur in 10.3% of patients who are diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia and 30% of patients with pneumonia who are admitted from a long-term care facility. Approximately 90% of patients in intensive care units (ICU) also experience aspiration events at least once during their ICU stay.
Aspiration pneumonia is an infectious and inflammatory process of microorganisms, which colonize in the aspirated materials. It has been demonstrated that bronchoscopy accompanied with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is helpful for patients with aspiration-induced lung injury in order to reveal causative organisms and determine the appropriate duration of antibiotic treatment. It is also known that the initial administration of appropriate antibiotics can lower the mortality rate in these patients.”