Clostridium difficile Infection in Ohio Hospitals and Nursing Homes During 2006

Abstract

Healthcare-onset CDI represents a major public health threat that, when considered in the context of an increasing mortality rate, should justify a major focus on prevention efforts.

Clostridium difficile infection in elderly nursing home residents

“…The median time between the onset of C. difficile infection symptoms and death was 4 days. Similar finds were reported in an epidemiology survey conducted in Ohio where, within the total number of patients' deaths from CDI, mortality was consistently higher in the oldest age population [3]. Another recent study conducted in four different nursing homes in New York reported three deaths among 23 residents who develop C. difficile infection after more than 30 days following admission [11].…”

Antibiotic Stewardship in Small Hospitals: Barriers and Potential Solutions

“…Additional studies have also confirmed that hospital size is not a predictor of total antibiotic use [11][12][13]. Given these findings, it comes as no surprise that small hospitals have been found to have similar or higher rates of Clostridium difficile infections [14,15] and drug-resistant bacteria [16] compared with larger hospitals. Multiple studies have found that smaller hospitals are less likely to have an active ASP and pharmacy support [17][18][19][20].…”

The Changing Epidemiology of Clostridium difficile Infections

“…Subsequent sur-veillance definition studies have helped to consolidate these recommendations, and they have become widely adopted (58,112). U.S. studies have continued to report increased CDI rates (33), and projected estimates for CDI in the U.S. by 2010 have reached 450,000 to 750,000 cases per annum (134,135,219). A recent analysis detected a 23% annual increase in CDI-related hospitalizations between 2000 and 2005, associated with an increased age-adjusted, annual case-fatality rate of 0.2% over the study period (218).…”