Development and validation of a clinical risk calculator for mortality after colectomy for fulminant Clostridium difficile colitis

Risk factors of surgical mortality in patients with Clostridium difficile colitis. A novel scoring system

BACKGROUND

The purpose of the study is to identify the risk factors of mortality and develop a risk scoring system in patients who underwent colectomy due to Clostridium difficile colitis (CD-C).

METHODS

Patient information was extracted using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) data from 2012 to 2016. All adult patients who underwent colectomy for CD-C were included in the study. The data were split into training and testing data sets. A multiple logistic regression model was developed by backward deletion methods for risk assessment. To test the performance of the prediction model for 30-day mortality, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was generated and an area under the curve (AUC) was created.

RESULTS

The training data set consisted of 434 (80%) patients, and the testing data set consisted of 91 (20%) patients. The overall mortality was 35%. No significant differences were found between the training and testing data sets for patient characteristics, comorbidities and mortality. The final model of the logistic regression model revealed a highly significant 30-day mortality for an age of ≥ 75 years old, ventilator dependency, Septic shock prior to surgery and a history of steroid use. The AUC value was 0.745 (95% CI 0.660-0.826). The risk of mortality scores range from 0 to 37. The highest score of 37 was related to an 83.9% predicted mortality.

CONCLUSION

Older age, septic shock, ventilator dependency requiring supportive care and a history of chronic steroid use were highly associated with mortality. A nomogram showing the scores and their relationship to mortality may provide guidance to point of care physicians for deciding the goal of care.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level of evidence: IV.

Recent advances in the treatment of Clostridioides difficile infection: the ever-changing guidelines

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), formerly known as Clostridium difficile, continues to be the most common healthcare-associated infection worldwide. With the shifting epidemiology towards higher a incidence of community-acquired CDI and the continued burden on the healthcare system posed by high rates of CDI recurrence, there has been an impetus to advance the diagnostic testing and treatment strategies. Recent advancements over the past decade have led to rapidly changing guidelines issued by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. With our comprehensive review, we aim to summarize the latest advances in diagnosing and treating CDI and thus attempt to help readers guide best practices for patient care. This article also focusses on cost-effectiveness of various therapies currently available on the market and provides an analysis of the current evidence on a relatively new monoclonal antibody therapy, Bezlotoxumab, to treat recurrent CDI.