Effects of a New Hospital-Wide Surgical Consultation Protocol in Patients with Clostridium difficile Colitis. Surg Infect (Larchmt) 2017 Jul;18(5):563-569
Date
05/31/2017Pubmed ID
28557651DOI
10.1089/sur.2016.041Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85021437344 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 6 CitationsAbstract
BACKGROUND: Fulminant Clostridium difficile colitis (fCDC) occurs in 2%-8% of patients with CDC and carries a high death rate. Prompt operation may reduce death. Our aim was to determine whether a standardized hospital-wide protocol for surgical referral in CDC would result in earlier surgical consultation, earlier identification of patients who could benefit from surgical therapy, and reduced deaths from fCDC.
METHODS: A multidisciplinary team developed consensus criteria for surgical consultation. Compliance was evaluated by prospective review of all inpatient CDC cases. Outcomes of the prospective cohort (POST) were compared to an historic control group (PRE).
RESULTS: From November 1, 2010 to October 31, 2012, we identified 1,106 inpatients with CDC; 339 patients matched the consultation criteria, of whom 213 received a surgical consultation, resulting in an overall compliance rate of 62.8%. All those with fCDC received a surgical consultation, with a median time to surgical referral of three hours. Of 46 patients with fCDC, 11 (23.9%) died, compared with 34.8% in the historical control group (p = 0.15). The death rate was 14.7% in the POST group, when excluding patients with limitations of care and those transferred to our institution in a fulminant state. There was a shorter interval between admission and surgical intervention for those who required operation in the POST group-three (1-11) days versus 1.5 (0-3) days, respectively, in the PRE and POST groups (p = 0.018), and a shorter adjusted median hospital length of stay (adjusted difference 9.0, 95% CI 2.2-12.3, p = 0.007) Conclusions: A hospital-wide protocol with established criteria for surgical consultation resulted in faster intervention and a shorter adjusted median hospital length of stay. The overall death rate for fCDC patients without limitations of life-sustaining treatment who presented to our emergency department or in whom fCDC developed while they were admitted to our hospital was 14.7%.
Author List
van der Wilden GM, Velmahos GC, Chang Y, Bajwa E, O'Donnell WJ, Finn K, Harris NS, Yeh DD, King DR, de Moya MA, Fagenholz PJAuthor
Marc Anthony De Moya MD Chief, Professor in the Surgery department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AgedAged, 80 and over
Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous
Female
Hospitals
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Practice Guidelines as Topic
Prospective Studies
Referral and Consultation
