Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Severe Clostridium difficile colitis

M S Rubin1, L E Bodenstein, K C Kent

  • 1Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Diseases of the Colon and Rectum
|April 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

TGF-β/Smad3 inhibit vascular smooth muscle cell apoptosis through an autocrine signaling mechanism involving VEGF-A.

Cell death & disease·2014
Same author

Mechanisms of post-intervention arterial remodelling.

Cardiovascular research·2012
Same author

Selecting stent grafts for the endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms.

The Journal of cardiovascular surgery·2003
Same author

Endoluminal stent graft repair of traumatic thoracic aortic pseudoaneurysm.

European journal of vascular and endovascular surgery : the official journal of the European Society for Vascular Surgery·2002
Same author

Recessed elliptical-centric view-ordering for contrast-enhanced 3D MR angiography of the carotid arteries.

Magnetic resonance in medicine·2002
Same author

Cross-sectional pattern of collateral vessels in patients with superficial femoral artery occlusion.

Investigative radiology·2001
Same journal

A Penny for Your Thoughts.

Diseases of the colon and rectum·2026
Same journal

June 2026 Translations.

Diseases of the colon and rectum·2026
Same journal

Selected Abstracts.

Diseases of the colon and rectum·2026
Same journal

Recurrence After Rectopexy: Insights From Magnetic Resonance Defecography.

Diseases of the colon and rectum·2026
Same journal

Risk of Metabolic Disease After Right- vs Left-Sided Colectomy for Colon Cancer: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Diseases of the colon and rectum·2026
Same journal

Sexual Distress Is Common in Long Term Follow-up After Pelvic Pouch for Ulcerative Colitis: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Diseases of the colon and rectum·2026
See all related articles

Severe Clostridium difficile colitis is identifiable by specific risk factors and clinical signs. Aggressive surgical intervention is rarely beneficial, with most patients benefiting from conservative management.

Area of Science:

  • Gastroenterology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Surgical Outcomes

Background:

  • Clostridium difficile colitis is increasingly prevalent and associated with significant mortality.
  • Identifying patients with severe C. difficile colitis is crucial for appropriate management.
  • A subset of patients develop a more aggressive form of this infection.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify risk factors and clinical predictors of severe Clostridium difficile colitis.
  • To compare patients with severe C. difficile colitis to those with milder disease.
  • To evaluate the potential benefit of surgical intervention in severe cases.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective, case-controlled study of 710 patients with C. difficile colitis over 38 months.
  • Comparison of 21 patients with severe disease (ICU admission or death) to patients with milder disease.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Development of a scoring system based on clinical and laboratory findings.

    • Main Results:

    • Risk factors for severe C. difficile colitis included malignancy, COPD, immunosuppression, renal failure, and clindamycin use.
    • Clinical signs of severe disease included abdominal pain, tenderness, distention, peritonitis, hemoconcentration, hypoalbuminemia, and abnormal white blood cell counts.
    • A scoring system effectively distinguished severe from mild cases. Only 1 of 21 severe cases might have benefited from surgery.

    Conclusions:

    • Patients with severe Clostridium difficile colitis can be identified using specific criteria.
    • Coexisting illnesses often preclude surgical intervention in severe C. difficile colitis.
    • Conservative management appears more beneficial than aggressive surgery in most severe cases.