A Study of Intercurrent Bacterial Respiratory Infections in Bulbospinal Poliomyelitis

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Abstract
THE two major causes of death in our experience with bulbospinal poliomyelitis were circulatory collapse1 and pulmonary infection. A consideration of bacterial respiratory infection is the subject of this report. This complication is particularly prominent in patients with bulbar disease of such severity that a tracheostomy is required to facilitate the removal of secretions. In an effort to cope more effectively with the problem of pulmonary infection, a study of the bacterial flora in the trachea after tracheostomy was conducted.Material and MethodsMore than 400 patients with poliomyelitis were hospitalized at the Massachusetts General Hospital during the 1955 epidemic. . . .