Publication date: Sep 08, 2025
The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a triad of therapies for patients: oxygen, nutrition, and patient positioning. In the progressive care units, patients were placed in a prone position while receiving continuous enteral nutrition (EN) to optimize healing and oxygenation. The study aimed to identify the rate of aspiration pneumonia in non-ventilated COVID-19 patients placed in a prone position while receiving continuous EN. This was a single-group, descriptive retrospective study. The study was conducted at a two-time Magnet designated academic medical and health science center in the Southwestern United States. The sample included 97 electronic health records (EHRs) of patients diagnosed with COVID-19, receiving continuous EN, and placed in a prone position from March 15, 2020 to June 1, 2022. Data were extracted from EHRs using ICD-10 codes, including patient demographics, EN frequency, gastric tube placement, patient positioning, and incidence of aspiration pneumonia. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were used. The Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test and Fisher’s exact test were employed for comparisons. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ . 05. Out of 97 patients, 8 (8. 25%) developed aspiration pneumonia. The majority of patients (75%) had post-pyloric feeding tubes. All patients who developed aspiration pneumonia had post-pyloric tubes. Placing COVID-19 patients in a prone position while receiving continuous EN may be a safe practice. Diligent nursing assessment is crucial to minimize aspiration risk and optimize patient outcomes.
| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| Gastric | adult patients |
| June | aspiration pneumonia |
| Nutrition | continuous enteral nutrition |
| Pneumonia | COVID-19 |
| Retrospective | non-intubated |
| prone position |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | Aspiration Pneumonia |
| disease | MESH | COVID-19 |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Oxygen |