Families-Beware of this Infection
10/05/09, East Hartford

Clostriudium difficile. You'll typically hear it referred to in the hospital and nursing facilities as C-diff.

If your loved one has it, you'll know, because your loved one will be placed in a separate room with a "contagious" sign on the door . Nurses, CNAs, and anyone else who enters the room will take extra precautions when providing care.

The bacteria Clostriudium difficile is a spore-producing organism which does not respond to alcohol hand sanitizers. C-diff most commonly affects older adults who are hospitalized or in nursing facilities. It's spread by spores in feces. Washing thoroughly with soap and water helps to stop the spread.

What most families don't know is that C-diff can kill by causing inflammation of the colon. Diarrhea, which is another symptom, is not life-threatening in and of itself, but can cause dehydration, spawning other issues.

The problem with C-diff is that families must be aware that they need to wash their hands before going to other parts of buildings or to other rooms. When families don't understand the seriousness, there's no reason for them to take precautions.

An 86 year old gentleman went to a hospital in CT as a result of a fall and then to a nursing facility to recuperate. He returned to the hospital in a week, where he passed from a C-diff infection. Two weeks later, his wife, who had gone to a different hospital for lung surgery and then to a nursing facility, passed, again, from C-diff. This family was never made to wear masks or gloves.

According to the state Department of Public Health, Connecticut reported 351 cases of C-diff and 13 deaths as a result of the infection between 2006 and 2008.

Mandatory reporting of MRSA and C-diff and been initiated as a result of infections all across the country and in Canada. In addition to washing hands with soap and water, bleach is used to clean all hard surfaces, including stehoscopes.

C-diff moves quickly, so if your loved one has it, take extra precautions such as masks and gloves and hand washing with soap and water. Insist that other visitors do the same.

del.icio.us

digg

newsvine

yahoo

View Comments  |  Comment on this post