[brian]

Federal government figures show a steep spike in U.S. cases of a common but serious infection that gives hospital patients sometimes deadly diarrhea and blood poisoning.

They show a 200 percent increase in the number of hospital patients infected with Clostridium difficile, or C. difficile, from 2000 to 2005.

The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality tracked more than 2 million cases of C. difficile in U.S. hospitals between 1993 and 2005. Its figures show the latest jump follows a 74 percent rise in the number of cases from 1993 to 2000.

Clostridium can cause mild diarrhea or an often deadly illness that can be treated only by completely removing the colon. Two out of three infected hospital patients in 2005 were elderly, the AHRQ found.

Full Story: http://today.reuters.com/news/articl...3-healthNews-3

[suanna]

I can't help but wonder how much of this increase is an increase in identification rather than an increase in infection. The tracking of C. Diff. has gone from being something you did with a patient with elevated WBCs, watery diarrhea, fever and dehydration to every patient who has ever c/o loose stools. It is simular to the "dramatic rise" in MRSA infections. What they don't say is that 100% of our critical care patients are now being screened for MRSA- It isn't a suprise that we are finding a lot more infected patients now that we are looking for them.

[SteveRN21]

And I thought a good run of Flagyl usually cleared it up. Not having your colon removed.

[Diary/Dairy]

Or those yucky stool transplants!!!

[sarahrain]

The superbugs in affected our setting are pseudomonas, MRSA and occasionally klebsiella. Clostridium "outbreak" was not in the history so far.

[SteveRN21]

Originally Posted by diarygirl512

Or those yucky stool transplants!!!

Oh yeah, I forgot about them.... nothing says I love you like having a loved one's liquefied feces squirted up your bum.....

[RedZeppelinRN]

Originally Posted by diarygirl512

Or those yucky stool transplants!!!

Stool transplants? What the h...? For real?

Red

[Diary/Dairy]

Oh yes.....It is a newer treatment, and supposedly it works....

[RedZeppelinRN]

Originally Posted by diarygirl512

Oh yes.....It is a newer treatment, and supposedly it works....

Are you pulling my leg?

[RedZeppelinRN]

Dairygirl

Just looked up "transplants on google." Read very briefly, and shut it off!

Oh my, I am behind the times!!!!!!!

Red