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 be the single most effective treatment for fulminant C diff colitis. AORN J 90 (August 2009) 192–200. © AORN, Inc, 2009.