RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF RISK-FACTORS AND PROGNOSIS IN NONVENTILATEDPATIENTS WITH NOSOCOMIAL PNEUMONIA

Although nosocomial pneumonia in non-ventilated patients continues to be frequent and have high mortality rates, knowledge of the associated risk and prognostic factors is still limited, This retrospective stud y was designed to analyze epidemiological characteristics, risk and pr ognostic factors in patients with nosocomial pneumonia admitted to a h ospital internal medicine department, Data on epidemiological, clinica l and microbiological factors as well as diagnosis and clinical course were obtained from the medical records of 104 patients diagnosed with nosocomial pneumonia, according to Centers for Disease Control criter ia, and from 104 control subjects. The incidence of nosocomial pneumon ia was 18.8 per 1000 admissions. Risk factors significantly associated with contracting the disease were female sex, hospital stay longer th an 14 days, other admission in the previous month and use of antibioti cs during the previous six weeks. The most frequent underlying disease s were cardiorespiratory in nature (59.4 %). Prognostic factors signif icantly associated with increased mortality were serious underlying di sease, initially critical clinical status, severe and moderate respira tory insufficiency and bilateral radiological signs, More epidemiologi cal data are needed to improve the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of nosocomial pneumonia.