Bronchopneumonia and oral health in hospitalized older patients. A pilot study.

Aims: To correlate microbial findings obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage in pneumonia patients with the clinical situation of the oral cavity.

Method: Quantitative aerobic and anaerobic cultures were carried out in 150 ml samples of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) obtained by means of an endoscope (Video Endoscope Pentax) inserted per os in the infected bronchus.

Material: Twenty consecutive patients with a tentative clinical diagnosis of bronchopneumonia in whom BAL was carried out for diagnostic purposes.