Patients who received outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy experienced low rates of Clostridium difficile infections, according to findings reported at IDWeek 2014.
Researchers analyzed the charts of more than 2,000 adult patients discharged with community outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy from 2013 to 2014.
Of those patients, just five (0.73 percent) developed community onset C. difficile. All five of these patients had a recent exposure to a healthcare facility. Two of the five patients had hospital readmissions not related to the C. difficile infection, and four of the five were on concomitant acid suppressive therapy, according to the study.
Researchers indicate that hospital exposure and antimicrobial therapy are risk factors for developing C. difficile.
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