New research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest the bacteria Clostridium difficile (C. difficile), which can cause fatal infections, is a significant problem in the U.S.
The CDC said almost half a million infections were seen among U.S. patients in a single year. About 29,000 of these patients died within 30 days of initial diagnosis, and 15,000 deaths were estimated to be directly linked to C. difficile infections. Over 80 percent of the deaths associate with these infections occurred in individuals over the age of 65. The data showed one out of every five patients with a healthcare-associated C. difficile infection, and one out of every nine patients 65 years of age or older died within 30 days of diagnosis.
"C. difficile infections cause immense suffering and death for thousands of Americans each year," said CDC Director Tom Frieden. "These infections can be prevented by improving antibiotic prescribing and by improving infection control in the health care system. CDC hopes to ramp up prevention of this deadly infection by supporting State Antibiotic Resistance Prevention Programs in all 50 states."
Patients who took antibiotics had the highest risk of developing C. difficile infections, poor infection control was also linked to the high prevalence of infection. About two-thirds of the C. difficile infections were found to be associated with an inpatient stay in a health care facility; close to the same number of cases were seen in nursing homes.
A recent CDC study showed a 30 percent decrease in antibiotic use linked to C. difficile could reduce the infection rate by over 25 percent in hospitalized and recently discharged patients. And other studies have found similar connections between a reduction of antibiotic use and the rate of infection.
To help hospitals make these types of changes, the CDC has developed tools such as a list of Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs and an accompanying checklist. The center is also working with states to improve prescription practices in outpatients. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has also developed a toolkit to help hospitals create antibiotic stewardship programs to reduce C. difficile infections.
"AHRQ's HAI Program funds projects that generate new scientific knowledge and, like the work on C. difficile, make this knowledge practical and approachable so clinicians on the front lines of care can prevent infections and make care safer for their patients," said AHRQ Director Richard Kronick.
