title: Nosocomial diarrhea in the intensive care unit.
abstract: We made an epidemiological case-control study to examine risk factors for the development of diarrhea in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a public hospital in Santo André, SP, from January to October 2002. Forty-nine patients with diarrhea (cases) and 49 patients without diarrhea (controls), matched for age and gender, were included in the study. A stool culture and enzyme immunoassays for Clostridium difficile toxins A and B were performed on fecal specimens from diarrhea patients. Fourteen of them presented positive cultures for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 22 patients presented positive ELISA for Clostridium diffícile. Nosocomial diarrhea was associated with several factors, including use of antibiotics (P=0.001), use of ceftriaxone (P=0.001), presence of infection (P=0.010) and length of hospital stay (P=0.0001).
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. paula_carniel@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Marcon
authors.forename: Mônica Antar
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gamba
authors.forename: Lucila Amaral Carneiro
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Vianna
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000032:analysis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001427:Bacterial Toxins