Map of lethal C. difficile toxin could pave way for future treatments … Providers underreporting major injury falls on MDS, study suggests … Regular video game play on the rise among older adults … U.S. market unprepared to meet needs of frail elders in the 2020s
One in 10 patients admitted to a New York hospital with no C. diff symptoms were found to be carriers. Six months later, 38% had symptoms.
Loss of food enjoyment can isolate cancer patients … No hospital disinfectants can kill off C. difficile bacterium … Study helps explain why exercise guards against heart disease … ‘First-of-its-kind’ Medicaid project to increase access to behavioral health treatments
The Clorox Healthcare Bleach Germicidal Wipes reduced C. difficile infection rates from 14.99 (per 10,000 patient days) to zero in a six-month period, according to a new study.
Providers have been put on alert that a specific sugar added to hundreds of foods could fuel outbreaks of Clostridium difficile. Trehalose is a naturally occurring sugar used an additive for taste and shelf-stability, scientists report in the journal Nature. Easily and cheaply extracted from corn starch, it helps feed certain strains of C. diff.…
Long-term care providers might want to be on the lookout for a specific sugar added to hundreds of foods — especially during C. diff outbreaks.
An international trial is examining the efficacy of a vaccine for C. difficile, the gut-destroying bacterium that is particularly dangerous to seniors.
For many years, healthcare institutions have been focused on different ways to decrease HAIs, as federal reimbursement initiatives loomed. So, what does this report card tell us? We’ve come a long way, baby, but there’s still a ways to go.
If I’m predisposed to being fond of infectious disease physicians, it’s because I believe they offer insight beyond that of a general practitioner. This is not to say that a long-term care facility’s medical director can’t handle a flu outbreak. But it is acknowledging that long-term care staff handles large caseloads with complex patients, and that more facilities should embrace partnerships with an ID physician.
A potential Clostridium difficile vaccine performed well in initial tests and now has moved into a large Phase III trial, researchers announced today. The news from developer Sanofi Pasteur raises hopes that the antibiotic-resistant infection can be prevented in long-term care facilities and other settings where it has become a deadly scourge.
