Clostridium difficile: No Longer Just a Hospital-Acquired Infection; Linked to Longer Hospital Stays, Other Health Complications for Children
Researchers from Sinai Hospital in Baltimore retrospectively analyzed the changing epidemiological trends of patients with Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) who were admitted to an acute care hospital. The results of their analysis suggest a changing shift in the way CDAD is acquired—from a traditional hospital-acquired infection to a community and long-term-care facility-based infection
In a separate study, researchers from the Mayo Clinic analyzed the National Hospital Discharge Survey database and suggest that despite increased awareness of C. difficile infection (CDI) in children and advancements in the management of CDI and infection and control practices, C. difficile-associated diarrhea remains a “major problem” in hospitalized children, and is associated with increased length of stay, colectomy, in-hospital mortality and discharge to a short-or-long-term care facility.
Fecal Microbiota Therapy May Help Pediatric Patients with Recurrent CDI
Dr. Sudhir Dutta and a team of physicians from Sinai Hospital-Johns Hopkins Program reported success after using fecal microbiota therapy to treat a case of recurrent C. difficile infection in a 20-month old male who was born premature at 27 weeks of gestation. After receiving donor stool from his mother via colonoscope in the right colon, the patient has now remained symptom-free with complete resolution of diarrhea, rectal bleeding and has consistently gained weight over the past three months.
Heath Risks of Non-Compliance with Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation Post- Gastric Bypass
The importance following doctor’s orders after bariatric surgery is highlighted in two separate case reports which describe how non-compliance with vitamin and mineral supplementation protocols could lead to nutritional deficiencies and related health complications, such as heart damage. Researchers from the University of Missouri report a case of a non-compliant patient who failed to maintain regular follow-up after undergoing bariatric surgery leading to severe vitamin and mineral deficiencies, while another case by researchers from Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Penn., describe a post-gastric bypass patient whose selenium deficiency caused cardiomyopathy.
