Ninety percent of deaths caused by Clostridium difficile each year happen in people over 65, and researchers recently identified three predictors of C. diff infection-related mortality in that patient population. Study results were published in the American Journal of Infection Control.
The study examined 540 C. diff patients over age 60 admitted to a Detroit hospital between January 2005 and December 2012, 130 of whom died within 30 days of C. diff infection.
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Independent predictors of C. diff infection-related death were:
- Admission from another acute hospital or a long-term care facility
- McCabe score of 2 or greater
- High serum creatinine levels
According to the study's authors, these predictors could be incorporated into a bedside scoring system for older adults with C. diff.