[alloysteel]

Broken ribs in a person of that age is perhaps a much more serious problem than first admitted.

Broken ribs make it difficult to take a full breath, and in the presence of limited and shallow breathing, fluid accumulation and potentially pneumonia could take things very wrong very quickly.

Even in a hospital setting, pneumonia can be deadly.

[bert]

Thanks for that.

My college friend aged 78, fell from a ladder last week. He also broke three ribs and had a cracked pelvis. He was placed in ICU.

You have given some insight as to why IVU.

My wife immediately ordered me not to get on a ladder again.

[FamiliarFace]

***Even in a hospital setting, pneumonia can be deadly.***

In my opinion, “Even” should be replaced with “Especially”. If I had pneumonia, I’d prefer to get my rest at my home.

[Sparticus]

The hospital is a really great place to catch pneumonia, too. Lots of sick people there, you know. They even a term for it, HAP, or hospital acquired pneumonia. It's the leading cause of death among ICU patients.