What is it about?
Clostridioides difficile infection, a cause of diarrhoea and colitis often triggered by antibiotics, has become more frequent and more severe worldwide over the past three decades, with a particularly marked increase among surgical patients. Surgery is both a risk factor for the infection and, in the most severe cases, a life-saving treatment. An international multidisciplinary panel of the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) updated its 2015 guidelines on the basis of the most recent evidence. The update covers diagnosis, antibiotic treatment (including new options such as fidaxomicin and bezlotoxumab), faecal microbiota transplantation, indications and timing of surgery for severe and complicated colitis, infection control and antimicrobial stewardship.
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Why is it important?
Surgeons frequently face C. difficile infection, both as a postoperative complication and as a surgical emergency. These updated guidelines give surgical teams worldwide clear, evidence-based recommendations to prevent the infection, treat it effectively and recognize when surgery is needed, improving outcomes for a vulnerable group of patients.
Perspectives
C. difficile infection is a field I have studied for many years, and bridging infectious diseases and surgery is essential to manage its most severe forms. I was honoured to contribute to this update of the WSES guidelines with an outstanding international panel led by Massimo Sartelli.
Professor Stefano Di Bella
Universita degli Studi di Trieste
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: 2019 update of the WSES guidelines for management of Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection in surgical patients, World Journal of Emergency Surgery, February 2019, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1186/s13017-019-0228-3.
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