Why are long-term trached and vented patients with a neuromuscular disease who are otherwise healthy more prone to acquiring pneumonia? thank you:)

Several reasons: First, trached & vented patients are inherently more at risk for pneumonia simply because there is a foreign piece of plastic in their airway. Second, patients with neuromuscular disease have poor airway clearance of mucus and are more susceptible to developing infections such as pneumonia. Also, these patients are at increased risk for aspiration that can cause a chemical pneumonitis.

Several reasons: There are a couple of reasons. First the trach itself is a foreign body and gets colonized with bacteria, ( that is bacteria grow on and around it) some of these bacteria can make their way into the lung. People with nmd may have a worse cough and are less mobile than others this makes clearing secretions from the lungs more difficult, as the secretions may contain bacteria, infection results.