Clostridioides difficile Infection among Cirrhotic Patients with Variceal Bleeding

Diagnostic prediction models to identify patients at risk for healthcare-facility-onset Clostridioides difficile: A systematic review of methodology and reporting

OBJECTIVE

To systematically review the methodology, performance, and generalizability of diagnostic models for predicting the risk of healthcare-facility-onset (HO) Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in adult hospital inpatients (aged ≥18 years).

BACKGROUND

CDI is the most common cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea. Prediction models that identify inpatients at risk of HO-CDI have been published; however, the quality and utility of these models remain uncertain.

METHODS

Two independent reviewers evaluated articles describing the development and/or validation of multivariable HO-CDI diagnostic models in an inpatient setting. All publication dates, languages, and study designs were considered. Model details (eg, sample size and source, outcome, and performance) were extracted from the selected studies based on the CHARMS checklist. The risk of bias was further assessed using PROBAST.

RESULTS

Of the 3,030 records evaluated, 11 were eligible for final analysis, which described 12 diagnostic models. Most studies clearly identified the predictors and outcomes but did not report how missing data were handled. The most frequent predictors across all models were advanced age, receipt of high-risk antibiotics, history of hospitalization, and history of CDI. All studies reported the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) as a measure of discriminatory ability. However, only 3 studies reported the model calibration results, and only 2 studies were externally validated. All of the studies had a high risk of bias.

CONCLUSION

The studies varied in their ability to predict the risk of HO-CDI. Future models will benefit from the validation on a prospective external cohort to maximize external validity.

Clostridioides difficile Infection in Liver Cirrhosis: A Concise Review

Clostridium difficile is a Gram-positive bacillus with fecal-oral transmission and is currently one of the most common nosocomial infections worldwide, which was renamed Clostridioides difficile in 2016. Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a prevalent infection in cirrhosis and negatively affects prognosis. This study aimed to provide a concise review with clinical practice implications. The prevalence of CDI in cirrhotic patients increases, while the associated mortality decreases. Multiple groups of risk factors increase the likelihood of CDI in patients with cirrhosis, such as antibiotic use, the severity of cirrhosis, some comorbidities, and demographic aspects. Treatment in the general population is currently described in the latest guidelines. In patients with cirrhosis, rifaximin and lactulose have been shown to reduce CDI risk due to their modulatory effects on the intestinal flora, although conflicting results exist. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) as a treatment for the second or subsequent CDI recurrences has demonstrated a good safety and efficacy in cirrhosis and CDI. Future validation in more prospective studies is needed. Screening of asymptomatic patients appears to be discouraged for the prevention currently, with strict hand hygiene and cleaning of the ward and medical equipment surfaces being the cornerstone of minimizing transmission.

Resident-Related Factors Influencing Antibiotic Treatment Decisions for Urinary Tract Infections in Dutch Nursing Homes

The aim of this cohort study was to identify resident-related factors that influence antibiotic treatment decisions for urinary tract infections (UTIs) in nursing home residents and to provide an overview of the appropriateness of antibiotic treatment decisions according to the updated Dutch guideline for UTIs in frail older adults. The PROGRESS study dataset, consisting of 298 suspected UTI episodes in Dutch nursing home residents, was used. The presence of dysuria was associated with the highest frequency of antibiotic prescription (87.8%). Positive leukocyte esterase dipstick results showed the greatest increase in the risk of antibiotic prescription (RR 2.1, 95% CI 1.44 to 3.06). Treatment decisions were considered adequate in 64.1% of the suspected UTI episodes. Overtreatment occurred more often than undertreatment. Of the inadequate treatment decisions, 29.3% was due to treatment of UTI episodes in which solely non-specific symptoms were present. A high proportion of nitrofurantoin prescriptions were incorrect in UTIs with signs of tissue invasion (54.8%), indwelling catheter-associated UTIs (37.5%), and UTIs in men (29.2%). Although this is considered inadequate, non-specific symptoms were associated with antibiotic prescription for suspected UTIs in Dutch nursing home residents and nitrofurantoin was inadequately prescribed in particular groups, such as men.