Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Development of Human Microbiota

Development of Human Microbiota

The human microbiota begins developing at birth and undergoes continual change as we age. Infancy marks a critical period of microbial sensitivity, offering a “window of opportunity” during which beneficial microbes help mature the immune system. By age three, children typically develop a more stable and diverse microbial community. Newborns acquire microbes from their immediate environment; vaginal delivery favors maternal vaginal microbes, while cesarean births favor microbes from the skin...

Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients

Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients

Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...

Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Excretion

Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Excretion

In geriatric patients, renal physiology undergoes significant changes, including diminished renal blood flow and a lower glomerular filtration rate (GFR), leading to alterations in medication clearance. Drugs such as aminoglycoside antibiotics, lithium, and digoxin, which rely on glomerular filtration for removal from the body, particularly impact pharmacokinetics. These drugs tend to have slower clearance rates in older adults, necessitating careful dosage considerations.Evaluation of renal...

Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age

Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age

Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...

Cryptococcal Meningitis

Cryptococcal Meningitis

Cryptococcal meningitis is a life-threatening opportunistic infection predominantly associated with HIV/AIDS, accounting for over 100,000 deaths annually worldwide. However, it also affects individuals with other forms of immunosuppression, including those undergoing immunosuppressive therapy, organ transplant recipients, patients with innate immunodeficiencies, and individuals with hematological disorders. The infection is caused mainly by Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii,...

Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption

Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption

As individuals age, their body's physiology evolves, affecting drug pharmacokinetics. The most apparent changes occur in the gastrointestinal tract, where an increase in gastric pH, a delay in gastric emptying, and a reduction in gastrointestinal motility are observed. Remarkably, these changes do not substantially modify the absorption of orally administered drugs, particularly those absorbed via passive diffusion.Transdermal drug delivery emerges as a highly viable method for older adults due...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same journal

Effect of Listening to Quran Recitation on the Quality of Life of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Acta medica Indonesiana·2026

Same journal

Exploring the Treatment Outcomes and Safety of Elobixibat for Chronic Constipation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Acta medica Indonesiana·2026

Same journal

Hantavirus Infection: Review of Clinical Management.

Acta medica Indonesiana·2026

Same journal

Anticholinergic Burden, Falls, and the Concept of Appropriate Polypharmacy in Indonesian Geriatric Clinics: A Multicentre Observational Study.

Acta medica Indonesiana·2026

Same journal

Complete Recovery of Thyrotoxicosis Cardiomyopathy After Antithyroid and Corticosteroid Therapy: A Case Report.

Acta medica Indonesiana·2026

Same journal

Local Crude House Dust Extracts as a Substitute for Standardized House Dust Mite Extracts in Allergy Diagnostic and Immunotherapy.

Acta medica Indonesiana·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Culturing and Maintaining Clostridium difficile in an Anaerobic Environment

Culturing and Maintaining Clostridium difficile in an Anaerobic Environment

Published on: September 14, 2013

Clostridium difficile infection in the elderly.

Hartono Taslim¹

¹Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Geriatrics Clinic, Medan 20152, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia. chang_hartono@yahoo.co.uk

Acta Medica Indonesiana

|September 16, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Elderly patients, especially those undergoing gastrointestinal surgery, face increased risks of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). Prudent antibiotic use and infection control are crucial for prevention in intensive care units.

More Related Videos

Cefoperazone-treated Mouse Model of Clinically-relevant Clostridium difficile Strain R20291

Cefoperazone-treated Mouse Model of Clinically-relevant Clostridium difficile Strain R20291

Published on: December 10, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Culturing and Maintaining Clostridium difficile in an Anaerobic Environment

Culturing and Maintaining Clostridium difficile in an Anaerobic Environment

Published on: September 14, 2013

Cefoperazone-treated Mouse Model of Clinically-relevant Clostridium difficile Strain R20291

Cefoperazone-treated Mouse Model of Clinically-relevant Clostridium difficile Strain R20291

Published on: December 10, 2016

Area of Science:

Medicine
Infectious Diseases
Geriatrics

Background:

Aging populations and advanced supportive care increase the number of elderly patients with risk factors for Clostridioides difficile enterocolitis in intensive care units.
Antibiotic resistance and the increasing prevalence of older, sicker patients are driving a trend towards combination antibiotic therapy.
Specific risk factors for C. difficile infection include advanced age, multiple comorbidities, and gastrointestinal surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

To highlight the increased risk of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in elderly patients, particularly those undergoing gastrointestinal surgery.
To emphasize the importance of considering CDI in elderly patients presenting with diarrhea, even as an isolated symptom.
To discuss strategies for preventing CDI in high-risk patient populations.

Main Methods:

Review of risk factors associated with C. difficile infection in elderly and surgical patients.
Analysis of common practices in gastrointestinal surgery that may predispose patients to CDI.
Discussion of preventative strategies including prudent antibiotic use and infection control.

Main Results:

Elderly patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery have a higher incidence of CDI, often associated with nasogastric tube use.
Preoperative bowel preparation, poorly absorbed oral antibiotics, impaired bowel motility, and prolonged postoperative antibiotic use contribute to CDI risk.
The imprudent, prolonged use of postoperative systemic antibiotics, especially in the elderly and those with enteric tubes, is a significant factor in preventable CDI.

Conclusions:

Diarrhea in hospitalized elderly patients should prompt consideration of C. difficile infection.
Gastrointestinal surgical patients, particularly the elderly with nasogastric tubes, are at elevated risk for CDI.
Preventable CDI can be reduced through judicious antibiotic stewardship and enhanced infection control measures.