Acid-Suppressive Medication Use and the Risk for Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia

Abstract

With the advent of proton-pump inhibitors, the use of acid-suppressive medications has increased significantly over the last several years, particularly in the inpatient setting. Studies evaluating the prevalence of acid-suppressive medication estimate that between 40% and 70% of medical inpatients receive some form of acid-suppressive medication during their hospitalization, approximately 50% of which are initiations.^1,2 Furthermore, approximately half of those newly prescribed acid-suppressive medication in the hospital are subsequently discharged with a prescription for these medications.^1,3,4