Guideline Concordance Yields Better Outcomes in C. difficile Infection

In a retrospective chart review, guideline-concordant therapy occurred in only 93 of 180 cases but was associated with significant reductions in mortality and recurrence.

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the leading cause of nosocomial infectious diarrhea in developed countries. Although both metronidazole and oral vancomycin are recommended, a recent observational study showed treatment-failure rates as high as 50% with metronidazole. In 2010, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America published guidelines for treatment of CDI that recommended stratifying patients based on history, infection severity, and presence of complicating factors.

In a recent retrospective case–control study performed at a single medical center in Texas between April and October 2011, researchers sought to determine whether clinicians were adhering to these guidelines and…

Reviewing Author

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Guideline Concordance Yields Better Outcomes in C. difficile Infection

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Reviewing Author