title: A quality committee's evaluation of surgical intervention for Clostridium difficile infection.
abstract: Clostridium difficile (C diff) is an anaerobic bacterium that causes antibiotic-associated colitis, which can progress to a life-threatening illness for some patients. Clostridium difficile is highly transmissible in health care settings and has high morbidity and mortality rates. The increased prevalence of this bacterium and the consequences of infection necessitate an understanding of its transmission and use of stringent infection control practices. A two-year retrospective evaluation was performed to examine the effectiveness of a screening tool for patients requiring surgical intervention for C diff and to determine whether treatment was timely and effective. Early, aggressive surgical intervention appears to bel the single most effective treatment for fulminant C diff colitis.
authors.affiliation: Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Fran White
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Vasaly
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Reines
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016360:Clostridioides difficile; D003082:Colectomy / Q000451:nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004761:Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000451:nursing / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D019990:Perioperative Care / Q000451:nursing; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D018805:Sepsis / Q000517:prevention & control; D014768:Virginia / Q000453:epidemiology