Background: Most of end Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients must be hospitalized several times a year due to acute exacerbations. Acute exacerbations that threaten patients' life are mostly caused by bacteria. Methods: The cross-sectional research. Results: - A total of 123 patients of COPD acute exacerbation were treated in Department of Internal Medicine II of Viet-Tiep Friendship Hospital from November 2009 to July 2010, male: 79.7 percent, and female: 20.3 percent
with the average age of 71.43 + or - 7.92. 100 percent of patients had symptom of breathlessness. 54.5 percent of patients had a higher white blood cell (WBC) count (the average count of WBC: 11.1 + or - 3.7 G/l). "Dirty lungs" x-ray image: 82.1 percent. ECG: thick right atrium: 43.9 percent, right ventricle: 22.8 percent. The patients in stage III + IV made up 68.8 percent and 31.2 percent were in stage I + II. Sputum culture result: 87 patients (70.7 percent) had a positive sputum culture. - The volume of bacteria isolated from sputum of patients suffering from fever was 2.24 times higher than those without fever. The volume of bacteria isolated from sputum of patients who did not use steroids was 5.52 times higher than patients with prolonged corticosteroid use. Sputum cultures showed that patients who did not use antibiotics before admission had the volume of bacteria 14.41 times higher than those who used antibiotics. The volume of bacteria isolated in sputum of patients with "dirty lungs" x-ray images was 4.9 times higher than those without "dirty lungs" x-ray images. The percentage of gr(+) bacteria isolated from patients admitted to the hospital for the first time was 81.3 percent. For patents who were hospitalized the second time or more, high percentage of gr(-) bacteria was isolated (2nd-3rd time: 71.3 percent
4th-5th time: 83.9 percent and 6th time or later: 80.0 percent). Conclusions: - Most of COPD acute exacerbation patients were at old age. The number of male patients was higher than female. All of them had symptom of breathlessness. The majority of patients had "dirty lungs" x-ray image and a positive sputum culture, gr(-) more than gr(+). - There was a strong relation between using antibiotics before admission, prolonged corticosteroid use, "dirty lungs" x-ray image and the volume of bacteria isolated in sputum. There were differences in the types of bacteria Isolated between the patients with different times of being hospitalized.