Clostridium difficile Infection Does Not Impact Outcomes in Stroke Patients

This study investigates incidence, patient characteristics, clinical features, and outcomes of CDI following stroke, including ischemic stroke (IS), intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Methods: The hospital database was queried for all patients with IS, ICH, or SAH from 2010 through 2014. Patients who underwent testing for C. difficile testing (CDT) through polymerase chain reaction were assessed. Demographics, risk factors, clinical features, and outcomes were recorded. Fever was defined as temperature>101°F. Results: CDT was obtained in 555/4004 patients and was positive in 99, for CDI incidence of 2.5% [SAH 6.5% (26/402) vs. 2.9% in ICH (21/730) and 1.8% in IS (52/2872)]. There were no differences in demographics, severity [ICH score, National Institutes for Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Hunt Hess (HH), Glasgow coma scale (GCS)], mechanical ventilation, neurosurgical procedures, stress ulcer prophlyaxis or antibiotic use. Steroid use (P=0.0273) and male sex (P=0.0112) were associated with a positive CDT. On the day of diagnosis, 61% of CDT-positive patients had white blood cell
Source: The Neurologist - Category: Neurology Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research